Year: 2016

Marrero man sentenced to 60 years in prison for armed robberies

A 54-year-old Marrero man whose DNA linked him to two seemingly unrelated crime scenes on opposite sides of the Mississippi River five years ago was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Monday (July 18), for his conviction of five counts of armed robbery.

Jonathan Isaac’s undoing was the two Newport cigarettes he smoked outside Subway stores in Marrero and Old Jefferson before he and a cohort rushed inside to rob the employees. He left behind his genetic material on the butts, providing Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives a break in solving the cases. He also was convicted of robbing a GameStop in Marrero.

Although three businesses were robbed, he was charged with five counts of armed robbery, one for each of the five employees who were the victims. During the robberies, each of the Subways had two employees working, and the GameStop had one employee at the time.

Judge Michael Mentz of the 24th Judicial District Court, sentenced Isaac to 55 years for each of the five counts and ran them concurrently. Judge Mentz granted prosecutors’ request to add five years to each count as an enhancement because firearms were used in the robberies.

The five-year enhancements were run consecutively to each of the 55-year sentences, for a total of 60 years.

Isaac’s cohort, Damion Savage, 42, of Harvey, also was sentenced to 60 years in prison in February. They robbed a Subway on Barataria Boulevard on March 6, 2011, a Subway on Jefferson Highway on March 23, 2011, and the GameStop on March 24, 2011.

Detectives, investigating what initially appeared to be unrelated robberies, found the Newport butts outside the two Subways and had them tested for DNA, according to testimony. Isaac’s genetic material was on both of them.

After identifying Isaac as a suspect, the detectives combed through his cellular phone records. They found numerous calls to Savage around the time of the robberies, who upon being questioned confessed. Cellular transmission towers also provided data showing the suspects were in the general area of the crimes when they occurred, according to testimony.

The detectives also recovered one of Isaac’s fingerprints from a video box behind the counter at the GameStop. In the business’s surveillance video, Isaac is seen touching that box, according to evidence presented during the trial.

Citing his client’s age, Isaac’s attorney objected to the sentence, saying that any punishment over 25 years means a life of imprisonment.

Assistant District Attorneys Angel Varnado and Douglas Rushton prosecuted Isaac.

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West Bank man pleads guilty to fatally stabbing his friend

As a jury was waiting to hear opening statements in his trial, a West Bank man admitted on Wednesday morning (July 13), to fatally stabbing his longtime friend during an argument in a Harvey apartment five years ago.

Melvin Billiot, 52, pleaded guilty as charged to manslaughter and obstruction of justice in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence. He admitted he killed Richard Barrios, who died from a single stab wound to his upper chest on July 19, 2011.

The men, both intoxicated, argued in the apartment they shared in the 4200 block of La Couture Drive, before Billiot stabbed his friend. Manslaughter generally is defined as a homicide carried out in the heat of passion or done where there’s no specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm.

“I stabbed Richard, but I didn’t mean to kill him,” Billiot wrote on guilty plea forms.

Billiot then removed the kitchen knife, cleaned it and returned it to a drawer, and attempted to clean the blood from his floor. Those actions lead to his being charged with obstruction of justice for tampering with evidence to attempt to distort the criminal investigation.

Detectives gathered several knives from the apartment, and Barrios’ DNA was located on one of them, leading authorities to say it was used in the homicide. Deputies also used the leuco-crystal violet substance at the crime scene and found the presumptive presence of blood throughout the apartment.

“Richard was supposed to be Melvin’s friend,” Barrios’ sister Santa Marie Cardenal told the court in impact testimony. “Richard and Melvin grew up together. You don’t do that to a friend.”

Judge Henry Sullivan of the 24th Judicial District Court, in accepting the negotiated plea, sentenced Billiot to 20 years in prison for each offense. Judge Sullivan ran the sentences concurrently.

Billiot and his sister, Pamela Billiot Leblanc, initially were booked by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office with obstruction of justice. They both asserted Barrios fell and said nothing about the stabbing until emergency medical technicians found the stab wound.

Billiot was later booked with the homicide. He confessed to stabbing Barrios when questioned the Sheriff’s Office.

Leblanc was never formally charged in connection with the crime and later died following an illness.

A jury was seated late Tuesday night and was in a room adjacent to the courtroom waiting to hear opening statements when Billiot pleaded guilty.

Assistant District Attorneys Rhonda Goode-Douglas and Marko Marjanovic prosecuted the case.

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Harvey man gets 20 years for fentanyl and gun possession charges

A Harvey man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday (July 12), after he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing fentanyl, the synthetic opiate painkiller federal authorities say is linked to a spike in overdose deaths in the United States in recent years.

After a jury was seated for his trial, Courtney Ables, 36, pleaded guilty as charged to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Judge Stephen Grefer of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Ables to 20 years for each offense without the benefit of probation or suspended sentence, and ran them concurrently.

Judge Grefer then sentenced Ables to 20 years as a triple offender, also run concurrently. Ables’ criminal history includes convictions of aggravated flight from an officer, writing worthless checks and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is up to 50 times more powerful than street-level heroin and has been linked to thousands of overdoses and deaths nationwide during the past two years – Prince’s death on April 21 was ruled an accidental overdose from fentanyl. The DEA last month issued an alert to law enforcement officers, warning them to handle the narcotic carefully during investigations.

Ables’ charges stemmed from his March 8, 2015 arrest by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies went to a home in the 4000 block of Indigo Court to investigate a complaint about a gun being fired. A resident reported that someone fired a bullet through his exterior wall and into a bedroom, according to the arrest report.

Deputies investigating the bullet trajectory traced it to the neighboring home – where Ables lived with his parents, according to the report. The parents denied knowledge of a firearm being discharged but allowed the deputies to search the house.

The deputies noted the bullet was fired from within Ables’ bedroom. They found Ables hiding in his parents’ bathroom, according to the report.

In the back yard, meanwhile, a deputy noted an overturned children’s swimming pool and found underneath it a gray lock box, the key to which was on Ables’ keychain, according to the report. Inside it were two pistols and 16 grams of fentanyl packed in individual baggies for resale.

Ables pleaded guilty to both offenses on Aug. 25, 2015. However a panel of judges at the state 5th Circuit Court of Appeal vacated the plea and sentencing on Feb. 25, finding an error in how the plea was handled in the trial court.

On remand, Ables initially opted to stand trial, which began Tuesday morning with jury selection. He changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the charges a second time late in the afternoon just after a jury was seated.

Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Sanderson and Josh Vanderhooft prosecuted the case.

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New Orleans teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in Harvey homicide

A New Orleans teenager pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday (July 12), as the gunman in a Harvey shooting that left a 24-year-old man dead.

Everis Hilton, 18, will be sentenced to 40 years in prison, the maximum for manslaughter, during a July 18 hearing, Judge Lee Faulkner of the 24th Judicial District Court said Tuesday in accepting the guilty plea.

Hilton was 16 years old on June 27, 2014, when he and another teen planned to rob Demone Robinson of Xanax pills. Robinson was shot multiple times and died in the 1000 block of Inca Drive.

Hilton was charged with second-degree murder and, because he was a juvenile at the time of the offense, he potentially faced life in prison with or without parole eligibility had he been convicted of that crime. But as part of a negotiated agreement, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

A co-defendant, Raynell Whittaker, 19, of Harvey, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case on June 10. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18 to 30 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess Xanax, for which he will receive a 2 1/2-year sentence that will be run concurrently with the punishment for manslaughter.

According to court documents, Markeisha T. Lewis, who had been romantically involved with Whittaker’s mother, conceived the plan to rob Robinson of the Xanax pills. She and Whittaker were to meet with Robinson for the transaction, during which they would say, “We about to get crunk” to signal to Hilton to rob the victim.

Upon hearing the signal, Hilton, who was armed, approached and shot Robinson. Hilton then removed Robinson’s pistol and gave it to Lewis, according to court documents.

After returning to Whittaker’s apartment, he asked Hilton why he shot Robinson. Hilton responded, “I had to. He was going to kill me,” according to court documents.

Lewis, 25, of Harvey, awaits trial on charges of second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to possess Xanax in connection with Robinson’s death.

At the time a Jefferson Parish grand jury handed up charges in Robinson’s homicide, Whittaker and Everis already were in state prison in connection with their guilty pleas to armed robbery in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

That crime happened sixteen days before Robinson was killed. Whittaker and Everis admitted they robbed a man of his cell phone in the 600 block of Third Street, in New Orleans’ Irish Channel. They are currently serving 10-year prison sentences for that crime.

Judge Faulkner is running the sentences for the Harvey crime concurrently with the sentences they are serving for the New Orleans armed robbery.

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Michael Smith prosecuted the cases.

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Worthless checks information now available at DA’s website

In his ongoing quest to provide the citizens of Jefferson Parish with updated information, District Attorney Paul D. Connick, Jr. has included a Worthless Checks page on his office’s website, www.jpda.us.

Our Worthless Checks Section staff, part of the Economic Crimes Unit, attempts to recoup losses incurred when people write checks on accounts having insufficient funds or that are closed. Our staff can attempt to secure restitution or assist in processing criminal complaints.

In addition to the new web page, we offer tips on safeguarding against accepting worthless checks on the page on our “Frequently Asked Questions,” or FAQ page, which is accessible through the menu bar at the top of our website.

The Worthless Checks page is found under the criminal departments menu and through the section page links at the bottom of the website.

The page also includes PDFs for a sample demand letter victims can use when seeking payment for bad checks, and a worthless checks affidavit.

The new page is the latest edition to the newly rebuilt site. Last month, The District Attorney’s Office launched its new mobile page, allowing users access to all online content, including news releases that were not previously available to people equipped with Androids or iPhones.

The Worthless Checks page can be found here.

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New Orleans scrap yard owner pleads guilty, gets 10 years in auto theft racketeering case

Hours after he was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday morning (June 30), the co-owner of a New Orleans scrap yard pleaded guilty to participating in an alleged criminal enterprise whose members were responsible for almost one-third of the auto thefts in Jefferson Parish in recent years.

Harry J. Sorrell, 48, of Slidell, pleaded guilty as charged to racketeering and conspiracy to commit theft, for crimes occurring between 2009 and this year. Sorrell then pleaded guilty to being a double offender under Louisiana’s habitual offender law, because of a 2008 conviction of a federal weapons offense.

Judge Adrian Adams of the 24th Judicial District Court, who accepted the pleas on Thursday afternoon, sentenced Sorrell to 10 years in prison as a second felony offender. Sorrell then was remanded into state custody to begin the sentence.

According to the superseding indictment, Sorrell, who also uses the name Harry Sporrell, owned and operated a scrap yard with an unindicted co-conspirator. Vehicles that were stolen by enterprise members were transported to the scrap yard to be crushed. By crushing the vehicles, the enterprise members eliminated evidence and gained another source of revenue through the sale of scrap metal, according to the indictment.

Enterprise members additionally filed fraudulent insurance claims seeking compensation from insurance companies, after members of the enterprise alleged their involvement in staged automobile accidents.

On May 5, a Jefferson Parish grand jury handed up an indictment charging 13 people in connection with the racketeering case. Sorrell was listed as unindicted co-conspirator “A” in that bill of indictment. On Thursday, a grand jury handed up a superseding bill of indictment, adding Sorrell and two other men to the list of defendants who were previously charged.

Authorities say approximately 32 percent of all vehicle thefts in Jefferson Parish in 2014 and 2015 were tied to the group of men. The thefts, most involving trucks, amounted to at least $2.5 million in economic loss to Jefferson Parish, according to the bill of indictment.

While the grand jury met Thursday morning, Patrick Robinson Jr., 49, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy to commit theft, 11 counts of theft, two counts of illegal possession of stolen things and altering vehicle identification numbers.

Robinson was among the 13 people who were charged on May 5. Judge Adams is scheduled to sentence Robinson on Sept. 19.

Sorrell’s and Robinson’s pleas on Thursday bring to six the number of defendants who have admitted guilt in the racketeering case.

Ronnel A. Kyles, 29, received a 10-year prison sentence. Jimmie “Black” James, 28, of New Orleans, is scheduled to be sentenced in September. Jason Mercadel, 38, of New Orleans, was sentenced to 15 years in prison; and Brandon Lane, 29, of Marrero, received a 10-year sentence.

Others named in the indictment are Parrish Norris, 41; Oliver D. Green, 46; Patrick N. Robinson III, 28, whose father is the Robinson who pleaded guilty on Thursday; Cardell E. Torrence, 39; Kevin A. Martin, 29; Brandon P. Evans, 30; Keith A. Nero, 29; Shon R. Claiborne, 27; and Ronald J. Johnson, 29. Norrish remains at large and led police in New Orleans on a high-speed chase after he was indicted on May 5.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Unit and the Louisiana State Police investigated the cases.

Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese, Thomas Sanderson and Lindsay Truhe are prosecuting the cases.

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Marrero man whose DNA on cigarette butts tied him to crimes convicted of armed robberies

A Marrero man who was tied to several business heists after his DNA was found on cigarette butts recovered at two seemingly unrelated crimes scenes five years ago was convicted on Wednesday (June 29) of committing the armed robberies.

Jonathan Isaac, 54, was convicted as charged of five counts of armed robbery in connection with the three heists in March 2011. The five counts reflect the five employees who were working at the three businesses during the robberies.

Isaac’s cohort, Damion Savage, 42, of Harvey, was convicted of six counts of armed robbery and sentenced to 60 years in prison in February. Both men rushed into the businesses armed with pistols and their faces hidden, leaving their victims unable to identify them.

Isaac faces up to 104 years in prison on each count, which includes a 5-year enhancement for each offense because a gun was used in the robberies. Judge Michael Mentz of the 24th Judicial District Court, who presided over Savage’s case as well, is scheduled to sentence Isaac on July 18.

The duo robbed a Subway on Barataria Boulevard in Marrero on March 6, 2011, and then a Subway on Jefferson Highway in Old Jefferson on March 23, 2011. Two employees were working at each Subway during the robberies.

Isaac and Savage also robbed the GameStop store on Promenade Boulevard in Marrero on March 24, 2011. Only one employee was present at the GameStop when it was robbed.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives investigating what they initially believed were unrelated robberies at the Subways found freshly smoked, discarded Newport brand cigarettes outside the two businesses, according to testimony. The detectives sent the butts to the Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory, where DNA analysts found Isaac’s genetic material.

In searching Isaac’s home in the 900 block of Silver Lilly Lane, the detectives found that he smoked the Newport brand, according to testimony. Isaac also was linked to the GameStop robbery through a fingerprint authorities found on a game box that was shelved behind the counter. In the business’s video surveillance system, Isaac is seen touching that box during the robbery.

Further, they investigated his cell phone’s call history and learned he frequently communicated with Savage, including around the time of the robberies. The detectives arrested Savage, finding in his home clothing similar to that worn by one of the robbers, according to testimony.

Savage also confessed and implicated Isaac in the crimes. Prosecutors called for Savage’s testimony this week. As he did during his trial earlier this year, Savage said he falsely confessed to the crimes and so could not say whether Isaac was involved.

The detectives also used cell phone transmission towers to determine that both men were in the vicinity of the robberies when they occurred.

Isaac, who did not testify, denied robbing the businesses. His attorney argued that the cigarette butts and fingerprint could have been left at the crime scenes at any point in time and so did not indicate that Isaac was involved in the robberies.

The six women and six men in the jury deliberated about an hour before unanimously finding Isaac guilty of all five counts.

Assistant District Attorneys Angel Varnado and Douglas Rushton prosecuted the case.

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Gunman convicted of attempted murder in Avondale home invasion shooting

A Metairie man was convicted as charged on Thursday (June 23) of attempted second-degree murder and two other offenses, for shooting an Avondale woman more than 10 times during a home invasion two years ago.

Danny “Noonie” Saulny, 25, a former Avondale resident, faces up to 50 years in prison for attempted second-degree murder, 10 years to 20 years for convicted felon in possession of a firearm and five years to 30 years for home invasion in connection with the Jan. 13, 2014 crimes. Judge Conn Regan of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Saulny on July 18.

The victim, who was 23 years old at the time, testified on Wednesday that she was in her kitchen cooking a meal at the home in the 100 block of Madeira Drive, when Saulny and a second gunman entered, saying “give me everything you got.”

She recognized only Saulny, whom she knew by his nickname Noonie from elementary school. Crying throughout her testimony, she told the jury she is “a million-percent certain” that Saulny was one of the gunmen.

“Noonie had me by my hair and drug me toward the kitchen while the other guy was kicking me,” she testified. They then dragged her to a bedroom. She stood against her godchild’s crib when she retrieved a wallet from a dresser to give to the assailants.

She said Saulny held a gun to the back of her head, and she turned her head as he fired. The bullet struck her in the cheek, she testified. She then struggled with the men as they shot her.

“They just kept firing at me, and I was trying to fight,” she testified. After falling to the ground, she said she then heard Saulny say, “’I think she’s dead. Let’s go.’”

She said she remained on the floor bleeding until the assailants left, and then ran to a neighbor’s home four doors down. She collapsed into a neighbor’s arms, struggling to speak because the bullet that struck her cheek caused severe damage to her tongue.

The neighbor testified that the victim also identified “Noonie” as one of the gunmen before calling 911.

She said she was shot more than 10 times, causing 15 bullet holes. She has still has bullet projectiles and fragments in her body and still faces more surgeries she testified.

She identified Saulny as one of the gunmen in a photographic line-up presented by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, according to testimony.

She later asserted she saw the second gunman in the Jefferson Parish Courthouse, during a court hearing. She said she recognized the man by a tattoo on one of his hands. The Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect, but prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence on which to base a criminal charge, according to testimony.

Saulny denied being involved, and his attorneys said the victim identified the wrong person.

He was barred from having guns because of a 2011 conviction of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, which was an aggravated second-degree battery in 2010. He received a six year prison sentence. He also has convictions of resisting arrest and theft in 2010.

Assistant District Attorneys Blair Constant and Lynn Schiffman prosecuted the case.

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Convicted Marrero rapist guilty of failing to register as sex offender again

A former Marrero resident faces five years to 20 years in prison, for his conviction on Wednesday (June 22) of a second offense of failing to register as a sex offender.

A Jefferson Parish jury deliberated just over 15 minutes in finding Gerald Dominick guilty as charged. The jury delivered the verdict about 5:40 p.m., Wednesday.

Judge June Darensburg of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Dominick on July 25.

Dominick, 60, was required by law to register as a sex offender for life because of a conviction of forcible rape in Jefferson Parish in 1984. He had been charged with aggravated rape of a 13-year-old girl in February 1984. Subsequent to a negotiated plea agreement, he admitted to committing a forcible rape that same year and received a 17-year prison sentence.

Then, between 2005 and 2011, he failed to maintain his registration. He pleaded guilty to failure to register in 2011 and received a two-year prison sentence. He returned to Jefferson Parish in January 2013, but he never registered as a sex offender.

The Sheriff’s Office arrested him in 2015, leading to his being charged with the second offense of failing to register and to this week’s trial.

Dominick pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and his attorney argued that because of his history of psychiatric disorders, Dominick did not know right from wrong when he failed to register.

Assistant District Attorneys Josh Vanderhooft and Douglas Rushton prosecuted the case.

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DA’s Office improves mobile device website with access to news items

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The newly redesigned mobile site offers access to internally generated news items. Mobile users also can share these items through social media platforms.

The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office has rolled out a newly built website for mobile devices, allowing for the first time users of iPhone and Androids to view all the office’s online content.

Before this week, mobile users were unable to view news releases generated by the District Attorney’s Office, which are published at www.jpda.us. These releases also are linked to the office’s Facebook site, facebook.com/jpdaoffice, and its Twitter feed, @JeffParishDA.

Mobile device users also are now able to share the internally generated news items through social media platforms, and they can email the items. About half of web traffic generally originates with mobile devices, according to industry sources.

District Attorney Paul D. Connick, Jr., had his website rebuilt in recent years, to give Jefferson Parish and other residents access to information about the various services his office provides to the public. The office also provides to the public and to news media outlets reports on criminal cases in the 24th Judicial District Court.

The DA’s Office plans continued improvements to its website, for both desktop and mobile users.

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