Month: November 2019

Ray Farria pleads guilty to shooting his wife through car windshield

A Jefferson Parish judge on Monday (Nov. 18) sentenced Ray Farria to 80 years in prison, after he admitted in court to fatally shooting his wife in the neck in full view of the couple’s four young children.

Farria, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the July 24, 2018 death of Dominique Farria, 30. He shot her as she sat in the New Orleans couple’s car at Lake Tahoe and Manhattan boulevards in Harvey, at an entrance to the Stonebridge subdivision.

Their children, ages 1, 7, 9 and 11 years old at the time, also were in the car and witnessed the shooting, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. None of the children was physically injured. Dominique Farria died later at a hospital.

Farria additionally pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, for discarding his pistol in a nearby wooded area, and for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

The couple was visiting family in the Stonebridge subdivision, where an argument ensued, leading Dominque Farriato to attempt to drive away, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Farria attempted to stop her, first by standing behind the car and then climbing onto the hood as she drove away. He fired one bullet into the windshield. She was struck in the neck.

Farria later asserted it was an accidental shooting and accused his wife of infidelity. He was charged with second-degree murder but, pursuant to a negotiated agreement, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter. In victim-impact testimony, Dominique’s mother said the family supported the plea agreement.

In accepting the plea, Judge Frank Brindisi of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Farria to the maximum 40 years for manslaughter, 40 years for obstruction of justice and 20 years for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences were run concurrently. Farria then pleaded guilty to being a habitual offender, leading to the 80-year sentence.

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Family Violence Unit Assistant District Attorney Kellie Rish prosecuted the case.

Brandon Martin sentenced to life for killing Daz Alexis, 19, in Marrero

A Jefferson Parish judge on Thursday (Nov. 7) sentenced Brandon Cordell Martin to a mandatory life sentence in prison for his conviction of killing a teenager.

A jury on Oct. 19 found Martin, 23, guilty as charged of the second-degree murder of Daz Alexis, 19, and of obstruction of justice.

Martin, who lived in Marrero and New Orleans, shot Alexis in the head as they sat in Alexis’ car in Marrero on Nov. 18, 2017. Martin then left Alexis’ body in a field near Johnny Jacobs Playground in the 6100 block of 4th Avenue in Marrero. He also abandoned Alexis’ car in Marrero and eliminated evidence of his crime, leading to the obstruction of justice conviction.

After hearing impact testimony Thursday, Judge E. Adrian Adams of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Martin to life without parole, probation or suspension of sentence for the murder and 20 years for the obstruction of justice.

Assistant District Attorneys Matthew Clauss and Emily Booth prosecuted the case.

Jonathan Manuel convicted of murdering 10-month-old, wounding 16-year-old

A Jefferson Parish jury on Thursday (Nov. 7) found Jonathan “Dugga” Manuel guilty of firing a pistol into a Marrero home three years ago, killing a 10-month-old boy and injuring a 16-year-old.

Manuel, 30, of Marrero, was found guilty as charged of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

The jury found that about 4:30 p.m., on Dec. 3, 2016, Manuel went to a home in the 2100 block of Caddy Drive and began shooting inside from the doorway.

Ten-month-old Xy’ahir “Nemo” Davis was shot twice and pronounced dead at West Jefferson Medical Center an hour later. The 16-year-old boy survived numerous gunshot wounds.

The jury, which was seated Monday, deliberated about two hours before returning with its verdicts. Judge Donnie Rowan of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Manuel on Dec. 6.

Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Zachary Popovich prosecuted the case.

 

Wayne Norman sentenced to 99 years as a habitual offender

A Jefferson Parish judge on Wednesday (Nov. 6) sentenced Wayne Norman to 99 years in prison as a habitual offender, a week after he was convicted of robbing a 74-year-old man at gunpoint as the victim carried his Thanksgiving groceries into him Marrero home.

Norman 29, of Marrero, was convicted by a jury last week of armed robbery, aggravated flight and misdemeanor possession of stolen things in connection with the crimes he committed on Nov. 15, 2018.

According to evidence presented at trial, Norman spotted the 74-year-old victim at his bank’s drive drive-thru window and followed him to a grocery store. There, the victim purchased items for his family’s Thanksgiving meal. Norman then followed the victim to his home and robbed him in his driveway as the victim carried his groceries inside.

Shortly after, Norman, driving a stolen vehicle, led Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies on a pursuit that ended in Harvey, where Norman crashed the vehicle into a utility pole and fled on foot. He discarded his clothing in a shed in a resident’s back yard, snuck inside and hid in a children’s bedroom closet. Deputies caught him there with property that belonged to the victim, who is now age 75.

Assistant District Attorneys Joshua Vanderhooft and Rachel Africk prosecuted the case.