A Jefferson Parish judge on Monday (Aug. 12) sentenced Gerald McKnight to five years in prison, after he pleaded guilty to causing the death of a woman while driving under the influence on the West Bank.
McKnight, 42, pleaded guilty as charged to vehicular homicide in the Dec. 15, 2022 death of Tricia Cook. The 72-year-old woman was a passenger in the rear seat of a taxicab that was traveling west on the elevated Westbank Expressway near Lafayette Street.
At about 11:45 p.m., the 66-year-old taxi driver, Eliot Theophile, stopped in his Ford Crown Victoria in the right lane because of traffic congestion, as he was attempting to take the Lafayette exit.
McKnight, driving an Acura MDX, rear-ended the taxicab. The taxicab struck another vehicle, whose driver fled the scene.
The impact sent Cook, who was not restrained, over the front seat and into the driver’s compartment. She was killed. Theophile was injured.
The Louisiana State Police observed McKnight exhibiting signs of intoxication. He performed poorly in a field sobriety test. A breath test showed his blood-alcohol content was .098 percent.
In addition to the vehicular homicide charge, McKnight pleaded guilty to vehicular negligent injury and failing to wear a seatbelt, both misdemeanors.
After hearing victim-impact testimony, 24th Judicial District Court Judge Jacqueline Maloney sentenced McKnight to five years for vehicular homicide and six months for the vehicular negligent injury. She ran the sentences concurrently. Judge Maloney also fined McKnight $50 for the seatbelt offense.
Assistant District Attorney Alyssa Aleman prosecuted the case.