The horrifying stabbing murder of a Louisiana woman was streamed on Facebook Live for more than 15 minutes, according to police.

Janice David, 34, was tied to a car’s steering wheel with jumper cables before being stabbed to death, authorities say.

Police spokesperson Sgt L’Jean McKneely said that the man charged with the murder, Earl Lee Johnson, then attempted to set the vehicle on fire.

The Advocate reported that someone who saw the stream on Facebook contacted the social media company, which in turn alerted Louisiana State Police.

Law enforcement was alerted too late to save the victim’s life, but they did make an arrest in the case on Tuesday morning.

Mr Johnson, 35, is being charged with first-degree murder for the assault, which officials said came after he and Ms David had been using drugs over a three to four-day long period.

According to Sgt McKneely, Mr Johnson was apprehended by police after allegedly stealing a car. He was in custody when Louisiana State Police notified local police of the murder, which allegedly took place in another stolen vehicle.

Sgt McKneely said that Mr Johnson admitted to killing Ms David in a police interview, and that the victim ahd been beaten and choked before being killed.

He said he did not know whether Mr Johnson had any previous criminal history.

“The end result — as everyone has seen on Facebook Live — is a very gruesome, very evil act,” Sgt McKneely told the newspaper.