Year: 2023

Convicted of murdering Harvey teen, Ivory Franklin sentenced to life again in ‘Ramos’ retrial

A Jefferson Parish judge on Tuesday (July 18) sentenced Ivory Franklin to life in prison plus 40 years for his convictions of murder and attempted murder.

It brings to two the number of times that Franklin, 25, has been convicted and sentenced for killing Reginald Black, 17, in Harvey seven years ago, and trying to kill Black’s 15-year-old nephew. The trio, who were close friends, were walking to a convenience store about 3 a.m., when Franklin brandished a pistol and shot Black in the back of his head.

In 2018, a non-unanimous Jefferson Parish jury convicted Franklin as charged of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for the crimes. However, because of the jury’s non-unanimity, Franklin received a new trial after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its 2020 decision, Ramos v. Louisiana, that non-unanimous verdicts are unconstitutional.

Franklin was convicted again in March, this time by a unanimous jury. And for a second time, 24th Judicial District Judge Donnie Rowan sentenced Franklin to mandatory life in prison for the second-degree murder of Black, and to 40 years in prison for the attempted second-degree murder of the 15-year-old.

“I don’t know why an individual would kill someone who was like a brother to them,” Judge Rowan told Franklin in handing down the consecutive sentences.

Franklin was 18 years old in May 2016, when he shot Black in the back of his head as they walked along the drainage canal bank in Harvey’s Woodmere subdivision. The 15-year-old ran for his life while Franklin shot at him, too. That teenager was able to alert a nearby homeowner, who called the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant District Attorneys Douglas Rushton and Stephen Downer prosecuted Franklin.

‘Street Butler,’ who led violent West Bank-based narcotics ring, pleads guilty

A Jefferson Parish judge has sentenced Scott Butler to 20 years in prison for his role as the leader of a Jefferson Parish narcotics distribution ring. Butler’s guilty plea on July 13 brings to a close a racketeering case that involved 11 codefendants who engaged in importing pain pills and muscle relaxers from overseas for resale on the streets of the greater New Orleans area.

Butler, 36, of Marrero, known as “Street Butler,” was the central figure in the enterprise, importing thousands of Tramadol and Soma pills from India or Singapore into the area for resale on local streets and distributing the proceeds among the enterprise’s members between November 2015 and April 2021.

Members of the enterprise used threats of violence to protect their distribution ring from those who encroached in their territory or reported them to authorities. Members of the enterprise attempted to kill an Algiers man in 2015. When that failed, they then tried to buy his silence with a bribe. When that failed, they attempted to kill him again. The man and his girlfriend were murdered the following year.

Court documents show Scott Butler wired almost $165,000 in a series of about 85 transactions to sources in India to purchase the pills. As a result of the investigation, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office seized over 80,000 pills, seven firearms and almost $30,000 cash.

All other members of the enterprise also pleaded guilty during the past two years:

  • Christopher Butler, 34, of Marrero, was another supervising member and an enforcer who committed and threatened use of violence to protect the enterprise. He pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, possession with intent to distribute narcotics and public bribery counts on May 1. He received a 20-year prison sentence, with 10 years of that sentence being suspended.
  • Decorian Jefferson, 31, of Marrero, was a “mid-level” dealer who distributed the pills throughout the greater New Orleans area. Jefferson pleaded guilty on Aug. 4, 2021, to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money of amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. He received a 17-year prison sentence.
  • Dwayne Carter, 30, of Gretna, was a “mid-level” distributor who distributed the pills throughout the greater New Orleans area. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2021, to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000 and public bribery. He received a 10-year sentence.
  • April Butler, 41, of Marrero, was a “mid-level facilitator” who provided the site for the imported pills. She pleaded guilty on June 9, 2021 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money of amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. She received a suspended 20-year sentence and was ordered to serve three years of active probation.
  • Shirley Carter Butler, 60, of Terrytown, was a “mid-level facilitator” who provided a site for the pills. She pleaded guilty on May 26, 2021 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. She received a suspended 10-year prison sentence and was ordered to serve three years of active probation. She is the mother of Scott Butler, Christopher Butler and April Butler.
  • Jemimah Joseph, 36, of Marrero, was a “mid-level facilitator” who provided storage for the pills. She pleaded guilty on Oct. 11 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. She received a 10-year prison sentence that was suspended and was ordered to serve three years of active probation.
  • Devin Williams, 25, of Gretna, was a “street-level distributor” who sold the pills throughout the greater New Orleans area. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 15 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. He received a suspended 8-year prison sentence and was ordered to serve three years of active probation.
  • Terrell Carter, 25, of Melissa, Texas, was a “street-level distributor” in the enterprise. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 11 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. He received a suspended 5-year sentence and was ordered to serve three years or active probation.
  • Trenise Palmer, 38, of Westwego, was a “street-level facilitator” who provided a site for the importation of pills. She pleaded guilty on Aug. 19, 2021, to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000 and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. She received three years of active probation.
  • Lauren Jackson, 37, of Westwego, was a “street-level facilitator” who provided a site for the importation of pills. She pleaded guilty on May 27, 2021 to racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to launder money in amounts greater than $100,000. She received three years of active probation.

Judge Michael Mentz of the 24th Judicial District Court presided over the cases.

Assistant District Attorneys Douglas Rushton, Brittany Beckner, Leo Aaron and former Assistant District Attorney Joshua Vanderhooft prosecuted the case.

 

Stephen Sauer pleads guilty to drugging, molesting 17 men, gets 25-year sentence

A Jefferson Parish judge on Friday (July 7) sentenced Stephen Sauer to 25 years in prison, after he pleaded guilty to being a serial sexual predator who drugged 17 men he met in the French Quarter and drove the unconscious victims to his Metairie home. There, he used mobile devices to obtain images of the victims in various stages of undress; he molested some of the men.

Sauer, 61, admitted to targeting men who appeared to be intoxicated, lost or in need of assistance. Then, in offering to help, he drugged the men. In some cases, he put narcotics in their drinks while at bars or, after they passed out from drinking alcohol, he used an eyedropper to feed them the sleep-inducing substances.

Sauer then drove the victims to his home in the 4700 block of Purdue Drive, where he photographed or videotaped the unconscious men. He molested some of the men and pleasured himself, and the following morning he gave them rides to their hotels or other locations.

He shared his images with others through a website or traded the images with others via email, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office found in its investigation.

Many of the victims were visiting New Orleans from out of state, were separated from friends or simply lost when Sauer approached them and offered help. The crimes for which he was charged occurred over a two-year period beginning in 2019.

Sauer pleaded guilty to 13 counts of sexual battery, nine counts of third-degree rape, 17 counts of video voyeurism and to 16 misdemeanor charges of possessing legend drugs without prescriptions and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sauer admitted his crimes and pled guilty as charged in 24th Judicial District Judge Shayna Beevers Morvant’s court and was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison. The judge additionally ordered Sauer to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, and to refrain from contacting 12 of his victims for the rest of his life.

The investigation began in June 2021, after Sauer sent a computer hard drive to an electronics repair company in New York. A data recovery technician found hundreds of images suggesting sexual assaults had taken place. New York law enforcement officials determined the images were taken in Metairie and notified the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives were able to identify many victims in part because Sauer took photographs of their driver’s licenses or other forms of identification.

In Sauer’s home, detectives found prescription pill bottles in the name of a convicted sex offender in Missouri. The narcotics included a common “date rape” drug, Zolpidem.

Detectives believe that more than 50 victims remain unidentified.

Assistant District Attorneys Kellie Rish and Rachel Africk prosecuted the case.

 

 

 

Shawn Chiasson pleads guilty as charged to murdering ex-girlfriend

A Jefferson Parish judge on Wednesday (July 5) sentenced Shawn Chiasson to spend the rest of his life in prison after the defendant abruptly ended his murder trial and pleaded guilty as charged to killing his estranged girlfriend.

Chiasson, 28, of Marrero, pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Lindsey Williams, 29, by shooting her once in the left side of her head in the bedroom of her home in the 1100 block of Gaudet Drive. He then fled, leaving her 11-year-old son behind with his dying mother on the morning of Aug. 14, 2021.

The jury that was seated last week returned to 24th Judicial District Judge Ray Steib’s courtroom on Wednesday to hear testimony. Jurors heard the state’s opening statement. Jurors heard testimony from Williams’ mother and were midway through the direct examination of Chiasson’s ex-girlfriend when he decided to plead guilty.

In addition to second-degree murder, Chiasson pleaded guilty as charged to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and to obstruction of justice. He was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a 2021 conviction of possession of heroin. After he shot Williams, Chiasson fled to Westwego, where he dumped the pistol along a canal bank – leading to the obstruction of justice charge.

Judge Steib sentenced Chiasson to the mandatory life sentence for the murder, 20 years for the firearm charge and 40 for the obstruction of justice. He ran the sentences concurrently.

On the night before her death, Williams gathered with friends at a downtown Gretna restaurant and then on the Mississippi River levee. Chiasson arrived and texted her, “I’m looking dead at you.”

Just before 9 a.m., the following morning, her son was in his bedroom when he heard something across the hall in his mother’s bedroom. He opened the door and saw Chiasson with blood on his hands.

Chiasson then used the child’s cell phone to call 911, telling the operator that his name was “Jake,” and saying someone had been shot. Chiasson fled, and the child waited on the front porch for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to arrive.

Following his arrest two days later, Chiasson told detectives that the pistol accidentally fired as he removed it from his pants’ waistband.

Chiasson’s public defender waived giving an opening statement Wednesday. Chiasson’s ex-girlfriend was the second witness, who was called to testify about a 2017 incident in which he beat her while she was eight months pregnant. She refused to answer a prosecutor’s questions Wednesday and faced a contempt hearing. It was while she was on the witness stand that Chiasson told his public defender that he would plead guilty as charged.

Jurors briefly left the courtroom on Wednesday, unaware that Chiasson was pleading guilty. Judge Steib called the jurors back to his courtroom and told him about the guilty plea. The jurors voluntarily remained in court to hear victim impact testimony and to see Chiasson sentenced.

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Tommy Block prosecuted the case.

 

Jose Robles Marques guilty of murdering his sister’s boyfriend in Gretna

A Jefferson Parish jury on Thursday (June 22) found Jose Robles Marques guilty of shooting his sister’s boyfriend to death in his Gretna home last year.

Marques, 43, was convicted as charged of the second-degree murder of Jose Salomon Fernandez Barrientos, 42, in a bedroom of his home in 1700 block of Newton Street on March 1, 2022.

Fernandez and Marques’ sister were arguing in their bedroom when Marques approached the doorway with a six-shot .38-caliber revolver and opened fire. Fernandez was sitting on a bed when he was struck by at least five of the bullets. He died on the bed.

At trial, Marques’ defense lawyers argued he was defending his sister, whom he asserted was the victim of a domestic violence act in the past. The lawyers asserted that Marques heard arguing, thought his sister was in danger and shot Fernandez. As such, it was a justifiable homicide, they said.

However, there was no evidence indicating that Marques reasonably believed his sister was in imminent danger, a necessary element of justifiable homicide.

In his statement to Gretna police after the incident, Marques indicated that when he entered the Fernandez’s bedroom, which he shared with Marques’ sister, Marques had already retrieved the firearm and loaded it.  Additionally, Marques stated that he observed the victim and his sister separate prior to his firing the weapon until he ran out of bullets. As such, his shooting Fernandez was neither reasonable nor necessary.

“Being angry, being upset, that’s not justifiable homicide,” Assistant District Attorney Eric Cusimano told jurors Thursday in closing argument.

Jurors deliberated about one hour, 15 minutes before returning with their unanimous verdict at 5 p.m., Thursday. Judge Nancy Miller of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Marques on Wednesday (June 28). Life in prison without parole, probation or suspension of sentence is the mandatory punishment for second-degree murder under Louisiana law.

Assistant District Attorneys Eric Cusimano and Taylor Somerville prosecuted the case.

 

 

Darryl Vinson gets 115-year sentence for brutalizing woman

A Jefferson Parish judge has sentenced Darryl Vinson to 115 years in prison for his conviction of brutalizing and beating a woman he held captive in her Gretna home for three days in 2021.

Vinson, 60, of Marrero, was convicted as charged by a Jefferson Parish jury on May 3 of attempted second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree sexual battery and false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon.

Judge Ray Steib of the 24th Judicial District Court on Thursday (June 15) sentenced Vinson to 50 years for attempted second-degree murder, 40 years for second-degree kidnapping, 15 years for second-degree sexual battery and 10 years for false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon.

Judge Steib ran the sentences consecutively, for a total of 115 years.

The crimes occurred between Jan. 27, 2021 and Jan. 29, 2021, in the 48-year-old woman’s Claire Avenue home.

He hogtied the naked woman, forced her to sleep on the cold tile floor in a closet, made her crawl on all fours when he let her leave the closet, kicked her and inserted the barrel of her pistol into her body. He stabbed her in the forehead and left lacerations from a serrated knife blade just below her neck.

To prevent her from crying aloud, he inserted dirty underwear and socks into her mouth and used duct tape to keep them in place. He forced her to eat cat food and injected methamphetamine into her body. He wouldn’t let her use her phone.

The victim’s injuries included brain bleeding, a fractured eye socket for which she has a titanium plate, fractured ribs, a bruised lung and numerous lacerations and ligature marks on her neck, wrists and ankles. She was hospitalized for 12 days, four of which were spent in an intensive care unit.

The sexual assault nurse examiner who documented the victim’s injuries testified that the case is “one of the most severe that I’ve seen.”

Vinson, who was homeless, met the woman outside a Gretna-area drugstore and befriended her. Their platonic relationship evolved into a romantic one. He moved in with her.

Just days after she had surgery to treat a hernia, on Jan. 27, 2021, the victim accompanied Vinson to his mother’s home in Marrero. Feeling the pain of her surgery, she returned to her Gretna home. Vinson arrived later and began accusing her of having sex with another man – assertions she denied.

The physical abuse began and continued until Jan. 29, 2021. After flashing a pistol at her, Vinson forced the victim to walk to Manhattan Boulevard and the Westbank Expressway in Harvey to panhandle motorists.

Soon after, witnesses began calling 911 to report Vinson beating the victim. In one 911 recording, a caller described the victim as being “black and blue and covered in blood.” Gretna police, which investigated the crimes, found much of her home in disarray, except for the master bedroom that smelled of bleach because of Vinson’s attempt to clean it.

Vinson’s attorney argued that his client and the victim wrangled with substance abuse problems, and that her recollections about what occurred might not be as clear as she now asserts.

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Tommy Block prosecuted the case.

 

Alvin Adams sentenced to 30 years for possessing child pornography

A Jefferson Parish judge on Wednesday (May 17) sentenced Alvin Adams to 30 years in prison for his conviction of possessing more than 800 pornographic images and videos of children.

A jury last week deliberated for about 25 minutes in finding Adams, 46, guilty as charged of possessing pornography involving juveniles under age 13.

Special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations found the illegal images and videos on Adams’ computer, which they seized in his home in the 3700 block of Bauvais Street in Metairie. The agents opened their investigation in August 2022, after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Adams saved the illegal images and videos in a folder on his computer desktop entitled “porn.” It contained sub-folders in which Adams saved the images by category.

A former Chalmette resident, Adams pleaded guilty in 2004 in St. Bernard Parish to indecent behavior with a juvenile. The Jefferson Parish jury that convicted him last week heard evidence about this prior conviction.

In announcing the 30-year sentence, Judge Frank Brindisi of the 24th Judicial District Court said “the trial and images left me speechless.”

Assistant District Attorneys Taylor Somerville and Piper Didier prosecuted the case.  

Convicted of killing his children’s mother, Kenny Rojas sentenced to life in prison

A Jefferson Parish judge on Tuesday (May 16) sentenced Kenny Rojas to spend the rest of his life in prison for his conviction of shooting his estranged girlfriend in the chest and fleeing, leaving her to die with their three young children.

Rojas, 38, was convicted as charged Thursday of second-degree murder for killing Lizeth Maldonado, 32, in their home in the 1200 block of Angus Drive in Harvey, on Feb. 27, 2022. He also was convicted of obstruction of justice, for getting rid of the revolver he used to kill her.

Amid an argument over infidelity, Rojas pressed a revolver to Maldonado’s left breast and fired once. Their 12-year-old daughter heard the gunshots, went to her parents’ bedroom and saw her father shooting her mother. “He killed me,” the child heard her mother said.

Rojas fled, leaving behind his daughter and sons, ages seven and eight. His daughter called 911, whose operator instructed the child on life-saving measures until deputies arrived minutes later. Maldonado died on the floor of her bedroom.

Rojas surrendered to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office about six hours later. At trial, he asserted he was trying to prevent Maldonado from shooting herself, and during the struggle over the revolver, it fired.

After denying a defense request for a new trial, 24th Judicial District Judge Nancy Miller noted Rojas’ trial testimony, in which he said his children lied. “You abandoned them as you abandoned your wife as she lay there bleeding on the floor,” she told Rojas.

For second-degree murder, she sentenced Rojas to the mandatory life sentence in prison without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Judge Miller also sentenced Rojas to the maximum 40 years for obstruction of justice. She ran the sentences concurrently.

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Leo Aaron prosecuted the case.

Jefferson Parish jury: Kenny Rojas murdered girlfriend, fled leaving their 3 children with dying mother

A Jefferson Parish jury on Thursday (May 11) found Kenny Rojas guilty of fatally shooting his estranged girlfriend during an argument before he fled, leaving their three young children in their Harvey home with their dying mother.

Rojas, 38, was convicted as charged of the second-degree murder of Lizeth Maldonado, 32, who died Feb. 27, 2022, in the bedroom of her home in the 1200 block of Angus Drive. He also was convicted as charged of obstruction of justice, for getting rid of the revolver he used to commit the murder.

During the argument, in which Rojas accused Maldonado of having an affair, he pressed the barrel of his revolver against her left breast and fired one bullet. Their 12-year-old daughter was bathing when she heard the gunshot.

The child ran to the bedroom and saw her father shooting and pointing the pistol at her mother. She heard her mother say, “He killed me.”

Rojas told his daughter to call 911 and fled, leaving the child and her younger brothers, ages seven and eight, alone in the residence.

The 911 operator instructed the 12-year-old girl to perform CPR on her mother and to apply direct pressure to the bullet wound to slow the bleeding. As one of her brothers wailed in the background, the child performed the lifesaving tasks on her mother until the first Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived. Her mother died on the bedroom floor, just over 10 minutes after she called 911.

Immediately after he shot Maldonado, Rojas drove to Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego. It was there that members of his family met him and drove him away.

About six hours later, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a relative of Rojas’, saying he wanted to turn himself in. Deputies arrested Rojas at a Terrytown residence. Before his arrest, Rojas admitted to numerous family members that he shot Maldonado.

His daughter told detectives and a forensic child abuse interviewer that he shot her mother.

During trial, Rojas’ attorneys suggested that Maldonado’s family influenced her daughter’s saying that her father shot her mother. They also argued that Maldonado held the gun and pointed it at their client and then at herself. They asserted that their client tried to disarm Maldonado, and during the tussle, the bullet was fired.

However, based on the location of the bullet wound and the angle the bullet followed through her body, the defense theory is unlikely, according to the forensic pathologist.

The jury deliberated about one hour and 15 minutes before returning with its verdicts. Judge Nancy Miller of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Rojas on Tuesday (May 16).

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Leo Aaron prosecuted the case.

 

NOTE: This post was updated on May 16, 2023, to correct Ms. Maldonado’s age.

Alvin Adams convicted of possessing child pornography in Metairie home

A Jefferson Parish jury deliberated about 25 minutes on Tuesday evening (May 9) in finding Alvin Adams guilty of possessing more than 800 images of child pornography.

Adams, 46, of Metairie, was convicted as charged of one count of pornography involving juveniles under age 13.

The Louisiana Bureau of Investigation opened its investigation in August 2022 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Special agents were led to Adams’ home in the 3700 block of Bauvais Street.

Although the special agents had a search warrant, Adams refused to allow them inside his home. The special agents, in turn, had to breach a door.

On the desktop of Adams’ computer, the special agents found a folder entitled “porn.” Within that folder were numerous subfolders in which Adams saved explicit images by category. In all, the special agents found more than 800 explicit images and videos.

The jury heard that Adams, a former Chalmette resident, pleaded guilty in 2004 in St. Bernard Parish to indecent behavior with a juvenile, a crime arising from an incident that occurred the year before.

Through his attorney, Adams asserted that the images were manipulated, and that the state did not prove that the computer was his. However, Adams had lived at the residence alone for a lengthy period.

Judge Frank Brindisi of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Adams on May 17.

Assistant District Attorneys Taylor Somerville and Piper Didier prosecuted the case.