Tag: homicide

Avondale man convicted of murdering Kenner couple in their bed

An Avondale man was convicted Friday night (Jan. 26), of killing a couple as they slept in their bed in Kenner, even as an infant lay between the victims.

Shaun Barnett, 30, faces life in prison for his conviction of two counts of first-degree murder for the April 4, 2016, deaths of Dawn Scott, 28, and Raynell Kimbrough, 31.

The couple was asleep at their apartment in the 2100 block of Idaho Street, when about 6:30 a.m., Barnett entered through the back door. He shot Scott once in the head. Kimbrough woke, and Barnett shot him in the face at close range and in the body. He then shot Scott in her body before leaving the apartment.

A child in the house heard the gunshots and saw Barnett leaving. The child discovered the bodies, walked his brother out to alert a neighbor. That neighbor investigated and called 911.

Police found Scott in bed with the infant to her right. The infant was not injured. Kimbrough was on the floor.

The Kenner Police Department determined Barnett and Kimbrough were friends and had been at a daiquiri shop in Avondale together the night before. Using cell phone data and a license plate recognition system, detectives were able to create a timeline to retrace Barnett’s travels in his gold Ford Taurus, across the Huey P. Long Bridge to Kimbrough’s apartment.

Following an argument with Scott, Barnett departed, only to return to kill the couple. Detectives later found the military-style jacket Barnett was wearing in a hamper at his home, with Kimbrough’s blood on it, DNA testing proved. The detectives also found some of Scott’s belongings in Barnett’s car and at a New Orleans residence, according to testimony.

Barnett denied committing the murders. His attorneys argued that evidence was lacking and the case was not sufficiently investigated.

Barnett also was convicted of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was barred from possessing guns because of six previous convictions for narcotics and property crimes in Jefferson Parish.

The Jefferson Parish jury deliberated just over one hour before delivering its verdict. Judge Lee Faulkner of the 24th Judicial District Court will sentence Barnett on Feb. 8.

Assistant District Attorneys Douglas Rushton and Lynn Schiffman prosecuted the case.

‘My mother was a wonderful woman,’ daughter writes as dad sentenced to life for her murder

A New Orleans man who was convicted this month of killing his ex-wife in front of their children was sentenced Thursday (Jan. 25) to a mandatory life sentence in prison.

Ronald Mitchell Sr., 39, shot Derice Bailey, 35, in the head and chest as they stood in the kitchen of her Aero Street home on Dec. 2, 2016.

The couple, which was attempting reconciliation, were arguing over Mitchell’s accusations of her infidelity. Her friends went to the home to attempt to mediate the dispute. Mitchell brandished a .38-caliber revolver and ordered the friends out of the house. They called 911.

Their children, then ages 9 and 13, remained inside with their parents, pleading with their father as he shot their mother. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responding to the 911 call were outside the house and heard the gunshots. Inside, Mitchell put the pistol down, walked out of the house and surrendered, later confessing to his deed, according to trial evidence.

At trial, Mitchell’s attorney argued that it was a case of self-defense, saying a man he could not identify was hiding in the garage.

The jury deliberated less than 15 minutes on Jan. 12, in finding Mitchell guilty as charged of second-degree murder and of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

The couple’s daughter, who witnessed the homicide with her younger brother, wrote a letter to the court as impact testimony, telling the judge that she loves her mother and father.

“My mother was a wonderful woman. If you met her you would have thought the same thing,” she wrote to 24th Judicial District Judge E. Adrian Adams.

Judge Adams then sentenced Mitchell to the mandatory life sentence for the murder and 20 years for the firearm charge. Judge Adams ran the sentences concurrently.

Mitchell was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a 2003 conviction of the simple robbery of a Metairie business. He received a 5-year prison sentence for that crime.

Assistant District Attorneys Kellie Rish and Molly Massey prosecuted the case.

New Orleans man convicted of murdering his ex-wife in Metairie

A New Orleans man with a history of domestic abuse was convicted Friday (Jan. 12) of killing his ex-wife in her Metairie home, ignoring their young children’s pleas before shooting her in the chest and head.

Ronald Mitchell Sr., 39, faces spending the rest of his life in prison for the second-degree murder of Derice Bailey, 35. Mitchell’s history of domestic violence and drug abuse in the relationship dated to 2007 in both New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, but Bailey repeatedly gave him second chances, according to evidence presented during the trial.

In Bailey’s final days, Mitchell accused her of cheating, a baseless accusation that culminated Dec. 2, 2016, with his shooting her as she stood in the kitchen of her Aero Street home and professed her love for him, according to trial evidence.

“He obsessed about his ex-wife cheating on him. And lo and behold, his ex-wife wasn’t cheating on him. What a tragic, tragic mistake he made,” Assistant District Attorney Kellie Rish told jurors in closing argument.

“He looked at her. He aimed at her and he fired. And he fired again. His own words shows intent: ‘If I’m going to jail, I’m going for a reason,’” Assistant District Attorney Molly Massey told jurors. “He wanted this breakup to be the last, and that equals murder.”

Mitchell also was found guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, for retrieving a .38-caliber revolver he stashed at a vacant house before going to Bailey’s home. He was prohibited by state law from possessing firearms because of a 2003 conviction of the simple robbery of a Metairie business, for which he received a 5-year prison sentence.

Mitchell and Bailey were divorced. In the months before her death, she and Mitchell were attempting reconciliation. On the night she died, several of her friends went to her home to attempt to mediate the ongoing dispute over his accusations of her infidelity, according to trial evidence.

In the home, Mitchell brandished the revolver and forced the friends out of the house, leading them to call 911. He tried to force out their children, then ages 9 and 13, but they remained with their mother. The children begged their father to not shoot their mother.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived but were unable to get inside the house. The deputies heard the gunshots. Moments later, Mitchell emerged from the house with his arms raised and surrendered, telling the officers he was “tired of her cheating,” Rish said. Deputies found his revolver inside the house.

Mitchell later confessed to Detective Jean Lincoln, telling her that Bailey did not deserve to die as she did.

“He said he loved her to death. He loved her to death,” Rish told jurors, recounting Mitchell’s confession.

At trial, however, Mitchell’s attorney told jurors he was defending himself, suggesting he felt threatened by a man hiding in Bailey’s garage, and that the killing was justified. Mitchell did not testify in his own defense.

At the time he killed Bailey, Mitchell was awaiting trial on charges of domestic abuse battery and making harassing phone calls in Jefferson Parish, both involving his ex-wife as the victim.

The jury of eight women and four men that was seated on Tuesday deliberated 15 minutes before returning with the verdicts at 5 p.m., Friday.

Judge E. Adrian Adams of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Mitchell on Jan. 25.

Assistant District Attorneys Kellie Rish and Molly Massey prosecuted the case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waggaman father sentenced to 40 years in prison for teen son’s beating death

A Waggaman man who caused his teenage son’s death through a disciplinary beating over a failing grade at his middle school was sentenced Monday (Nov. 27) to 40 years in prison, the maximum punishment allowed by law for manslaughter.

Furnell Daniel Sr., 45, was held criminally responsible for the death of 14-year-old Jalen Daniel. A Jefferson Parish jury found him guilty of manslaughter on Nov. 18.

Using a length of hardwood that had been a railing on a baby crib, Daniel repeatedly struck his son in their Clifford Court home on Feb. 5, 2016, after the teen returned home from school with an ‘F’ in one course.

Despite his complaints of pain and his urinating and vomiting in his bed, his father did not call 911 until more than 19 hours after the beating, when the teen became unresponsive. He died days later.

Daniel stood trial on a charge of second-degree murder. He admitted to striking his son with the board but denied intentionally killing him.

After denying a defense motion for a new trial, Judge Stephen Grefer of the 24th Judicial District Court handed down the 40-year sentence, saying in part that he believes Daniel would abuse his other children.

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Laura Schneidau prosecuted the case.

 

Waggaman man convicted of causing teen son’s death over ‘F’ class grade

A Waggaman man was convicted of manslaughter early Saturday morning (Nov. 18), for causing his teenage son’s death by beating the middle-school student with a piece of wood as punishment for one failing class grade.

Furnell Daniel Sr., 45, faces up to 40 years in prison for the death of 14-year-old Jalen Daniel. Using about a 4 1/2-foot length of hardwood that had been a railing on a baby crib, Daniel repeatedly beat the teen in their Clifford Court home on Feb. 5, 2016.

Only after the teen vomited and urinated in his bed and then became unresponsive did the father call 911 – more than 19 hours after the beating.

Jalen died from an untreated epidural hemorrhage caused by a blow to his head. In addition to numerous bruises, Jalen suffered from five bone fractures, including his skull, a wrist, a hand and a knee. Jalen suffered three strikes to his head, one of which caused bleeding in the brain cavity that led to heart failure.

Daniel denied intentionally killing his son but admitted in testimony that he paddled the teen “more than once” during the final beating.

Through the beating, prosecutors argued that Daniel committed a second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, which is the felony that led to the teen’s death. As such, Furnell Daniel committed a second-degree murder under the felony-murder doctrine.

The jury of eight women and four men deliberated about six hours before returning with the responsive verdict of manslaughter about 1:30 a.m. Judge Stephen Grefer of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Daniel on Nov. 29.

Assistant District Attorneys Lindsay Truhe and Laura Schneidau prosecuted the case.

Adam Littleton sentenced to life for Jasilas Wright’s I-10 death

Adam Littleton was sentenced Thursday (Nov. 9) to a mandatory life sentence in prison, for his criminal culpability in causing the death of a woman who was fatally struck by vehicles on Interstate 10 in Metairie after she leapt from his moving car in trying to escape him.

Littleton, 26, a Mississippi native, was convicted as charged this summer of second-degree murder in the June 10, 2015, death of Jasilas Wright, 19.

According to evidence presented at trial, Wright met Littleton through her job as a dancer at Bourbon Street night clubs. In May 2015, she traveled with Littleton to Texas, where she engaged in prostitution. Littleton benefited financially from her prostitution.

On the morning she died, Wright and Littleton argued in the French Quarter before he forced her into his car with him, according to a witness.

However, unwilling to travel to Texas again, Wright jumped from Littleton’s car in the westbound lanes of I-10 near the Veterans Memorial Boulevard overpass. She was fatally struck by vehicles.

According to additional evidence presented at trial, Littleton witnessed Wright being struck by vehicles and yet continued driving to Texas. He never notified police.

He did speak with Wright’s family on the telephone, telling them only that she jumped from his car. He hung up and never spoke with them again.

Knowing that warrants for his arrest were pending in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans, Littleton surrendered to authorities in Shreveport.

Littleton was prosecuted under the felony-murder doctrine. Prosecutors alleged that he was engaged in the crime of second-degree kidnapping when Wright died, and as such, he was legally responsible for her death.

Following the conviction, Littleton’s defense counsel sought a new trial, citing numerous complaints. The defense argued, among other things, that prosecutors withheld information about a key witness’s criminal history.

After hearing argument, reading numerous briefs and listening to a recording of the key witness’s trial testimony, Judge Lee Faulkner of the 24th Judicial District Court ruled he found “no merit” to the defense assertions.

Judge Faulkner then sentenced Littleton to the mandatory life sentence.

The Louisiana State Police, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and New Orleans Police Department investigated the homicide.

Assistant District Attorneys Kellie Rish and Megan Gorman prosecuted the case.

Algiers man sentenced to life in Bucktown murder and armed robbery attempt

An Algiers man who was convicted last month of an armed robbery-related homicide in the Bucktown area was sentenced Thursday (Nov. 2) to a mandatory life sentence in prison.

Bobby James, 25, committed the second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery of Dwayne Baptiste, 27, a Jefferson Parish jury decided Oct. 12. James shot Baptiste in the back, as the victim fled from an apartment at West Esplanade Avenue and Lake Avenue on May 3, 2016.

Batiste’s mother provided impact testimony, describing her pain while expressing forgiveness for the man who killed her firstborn son. After hearing James deny he committed the crimes, Judge Stephen Enright of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced him to the mandatory life sentence for the murder and 49 1/2 years for the attempted armed robbery. Judge Enright ran the sentences concurrently.

James also faces a second-degree murder charge in New Orleans Criminal District Court. He is accused of being one of the gunmen who attempted an armed robbery of people in a Brunswick Court home in Algiers on Dec. 10, 2012. Cory Bush, 35, was killed in that crime.

Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Brittany Beckner prosecuted James.

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Algiers man convicted of Bucktown murder

An Algiers man was convicted as charged Thursday night (Oct. 12), of killing a Metairie man while trying to rob him in Bucktown last year.

Bobby James, 25, of Algiers, is guilty of second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. James was convicted of fatally shooting Dwayne Baptiste, 27, in the back while trying to rob him at an apartment building at West Esplanade Avenue and Lake Avenue about 6 p.m., on May 3, 2016. Baptiste died three days later at a hospital.

While Baptiste was known to carry a large quantity of cash on that day, no one saw who stole the money from the victim, whether it was James or bystanders who pilfered the roll of cash from the mortally wounded man’s pockets. Therefore, James was charged with attempted armed robbery.

The Jefferson Parish jury also heard testimony about James being an accused gunman in an Algiers home invasion. The victim, Cory Bush, 35, was fatally shot on Dec. 10, 2012, as he unknowingly entered his Brunswick Court home while the crime was underway. James awaits trial in New Orleans Criminal District Court.

The jury deliberated just over two hours before announcing its verdict about 10 p.m. James faces life in prison with no chance of probation, parole or suspension of sentence for the murder.

Judge Stephen Enright of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence James on Nov. 2.

Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Brittany Beckner prosecuted the case.

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West Bank men receive heavy prison sentences for 2015 crime spree that included murder

Six days after they were convicted of a 2015 crime spree that left one man dead and another bound to a wheelchair for life, two West Bank men were sentenced Thursday (Sept. 14).

Corey Flag, 25, of Marrero, was sentenced to life plus 167 years in prison. Emmett Garrison IV, 18, of Gretna, was sentenced to 197 years in prison and awaits his punishment for murder.

Because he was under age 18 at the time, Garrison cannot face a mandatory life sentence for murder, as Louisiana’s statute requires for adults. Garrison could be deemed parole eligible after 25 years but also could get life in prison without parole.

Judge John Molaison of the 24th Judicial District Court set a Nov. 6 hearing to consider Garrison’s punishment for the second-degree murder.

A Jefferson Parish jury on Friday night unanimously convicted Flag and Garrison as charged of offenses asserted in a 10-count indictment. The crimes included the second-degree murder of Bruce Lutcher Sr., 34, who was shot multiple times while being robbed outside his apartment in the 1600 block of Ute Drive on Nov. 23, 2015.

They also were convicted of robbing and attempting to rob three men outside their apartments in Terrytown and Harvey, within an hour’s span on Dec. 11, 2015. One of the victims, a 25-year-old man, was shot by Garrison and left paralyzed from the waist down.

Flag also was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and illegal use of a firearm. Garrison was convicted of attempted second-degree murder, for shooting the man who was left paralyzed. Together they were convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and illegal discharge of a firearm. The latter charge involved a Dec. 9, 2015 drive-by shooting in Marrero.

Judge Molaison, in explaining his reasons for sentencing, noted Flag and Garrison robbed four victims, all involving a firearm. Judge Molaison said he found no mitigating grounds to excuse their criminal conduct.

UPDATE: Following several court appearances during which testimony was given, Garrison, now 20, was sentenced on Dec. 3, 2018, to a mandatory life sentence in prison for his second-degree murder conviction.

Judge William “Chuck” Credo III, sitting ad hoc in the court’s Division E seat, ordered Garrison’s life sentence to be served consecutive to the 197 years given by Judge Molaison.

In court filings, prosecutors in October 2017 announced their intent to seek life without parole for Garrison and requested sentencing hearings. Because he was under age 18 at the time he participated in the murder of Mr. Lutcher, Garrison could not automatically face a mandatory life sentence in prison. By law, life without parole is reserved for “the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption,” according to court documents. 

Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Rachel Africk prosecuted the case.

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West Bank men convicted of murder, armed robberies in 2015 crime spree

Two West Bank men were convicted as charged Friday night (Sept. 8) for committing a violent, month-long crime spree in late 2015 that left one man dead and another partially paralyzed.

Emmett Garrison IV, 18, of Marrero, and Corey Flag, 25, of Gretna, were convicted of all charges listed in the 10-count bill of indictment. The charges:

  • Count 1, second-degree murder. Garrison and Flag killed Bruce Lutcher Sr., 34, while robbing him outside his apartment in the 1600 block of Ute Drive in Harvey on Nov. 23, 2015.
  • Count 2, conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Garrison and Flag conspired to commit a string of armed robberies that occurred during the crime spree.
  • Count 3, attempted armed robbery. Garrison and Flag attempted to rob a 26-year-old Hispanic man outside his apartment in the 2900 block of South Monterey Court, in Terrytown. This crime happened approximately 5:30 p.m., on Dec. 11, 2015, and was the first of three robbery attempts occurring within a one-hour span. They left this robbery empty handed.
  • Count 4, illegal discharge of a firearm. Flag fired a 9mm semiautomatic pistol at the victim of the attempted robbery in Count 3. The victim was not injured.
  • Count 5, attempted armed robbery. Flag and Garrison attempted to rob a 25-year-old Hispanic man outside his apartment in the 1900 block of Faith Place, in Terrytown. This crime happened approximately 6:05 p.m.
  • Count 6, attempted second-degree murder. Garrison then shot the victim in Count 5. The bullet severed victim’s spinal cord, leaving him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. Garrison and Flag obtained nothing of value from this victim.
  • Count 7, armed robbery. Garrison and Flag then robbed a 54-year-old Hispanic man outside his apartment in the 1500 block of Abbey Road in Harvey. That crime happened approximately 6:30 p.m.
  • Count 8, illegal discharge of a firearm. Garrison shot at the victim in Count 7, after the victim attempted to follow the robbers. The victim was not injured but lost more than $400 in cash and his cell phone in the robbery.
  • Count 9, convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Flag was prohibited from possessing guns because of a 2011 conviction of possession of cocaine, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison.
  • Count 10, illegal discharge of a firearm. Garrison and Flag were shooters in a Dec. 9, 2015, drive-by shooting in Marrero’s Acre Road public housing development.

In addition to gathering statements from witnesses, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in part tied Garrison and Flag to the crimes through the numerous spent bullet casings that deputies gathered at seven separate crime scenes. Investigators linked two 9mm semiautomatic pistols to the crimes with help from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, or NIBIN, a database maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The jury of six women and six men deliberated two hours in reaching their unanimous verdicts on all counts. Flag and Garrison lashed out in court as the verdicts were announced, cursing and protesting as deputies escorted them out of the courtroom.

Judge John Molaison of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Flag and Garrison on Thursday (Sept. 14).

Second-degree murder carries a sentence of mandatory life in prison, a punishment Flag faces. However, Garrison will be sentenced for the murder at a later date.

Because he was 17 years old at the time he committed the crimes, Judge Molaison must hold a sentencing hearing before deciding whether Garrison could be parole eligible after 25 years of a life sentence. A hearing date was not set.

Assistant District Attorneys Doug Freese and Rachel Africk prosecuted the case.

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