Tag: jefferson parish sheriff’s office

‘Harvey Hustlers’ narcotics supplier sentenced to life for Marrero murder

A judge on Monday (Dec. 2) sentenced Alcus Smith to life in prison for his conviction of killing Donte Hall in Marrero.

Smith, 32, of Harvey, was convicted by a jury on Oct. 31 of the second-degree murder of Hall, 22, who was shot multiple times in the 2600 block of Pelican Bay Boulevard on Nov. 15, 2013.

Smith was a narcotics trafficker who supplied the notorious West Bank gang “Harvey Hustlers,” according to evidence presented at trial. Smith killed Hall believing that Hall cheated him in a narcotics transaction, according to trial evidence.

Smith already is serving a 65-year sentence for his 2015 conviction of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of cocaine. Smith was charged in a case against the Harvey Hustlers that was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

After denying post-verdict motions and hearing impact testimony from Hall’s mother on Monday, retired Judge Raymond Bigelow, sitting pro tempore at the 24th Judicial District Court, sentenced Smith to the mandatory life sentence for killing Hall. Judge Bigelow ran the life sentence concurrent with the 65-year sentence Smith already is serving.

Assistant District Attorneys Seth Shute and Doug Freese prosecuted the case.

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.

Wayne Norman convicted of robbing Thanksgiving shopper, fleeing deputies in stolen vehicle

A Jefferson Parish jury Tuesday night (Oct. 29) found Wayne Norman guilty of robbing a 74-year-old Marrero man at gunpoint in his driveway as the victim carried his family’s Thanksgiving groceries into his home last year.

Norman, 29, of Marrero, was convicted as charged of armed robbery and aggravated flight in connection with his crimes that occurred on Nov. 15, 2018. The jury also found Norman guilty of a lesser, misdemeanor charge of possession of stolen property.

Norman first spotted the victim at his bank, from where he followed him to the grocery. Inside the grocery, Norman went so far as to place a large spiral-cut ham into the victim’s shopping cart and then followed him out of the grocery and to the victim’s home. There, as the victim was bringing groceries into his home, Norman approached, pointed a pistol at the victim’s face and demanded money. The victim complied, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office was alerted.

Norman fled on foot and was located inside a Lynnbrook Drive home, where he hid in a child’s bedroom closet. A resident in the home heard something suspicious, and authorities were notified. Deputies found Norman and arrested him.

Some of his clothing items he wore during the robbery were located in a backyard shed at that address. The money and hearing aid batteries that Norman took from the victim were found in Norman’s pocket when he was apprehended.

That same day, Norman was observed driving a 2002 Ford Escape that had been stolen in New Orleans. He fled deputies who tried to stop him and crashed the vehicle into a utility pole in Harvey’s Woodmere subdivision before fleeing on foot. These crimes led to his conviction of aggravated flight and possession of stolen property.

The jury deliberated approximately 45 minutes in convicting Norman of the armed robbery and aggravated flight. Judge Nancy Miller of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Norman on Monday (Nov. 4).

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

Brandon Martin convicted of murdering teen in Marrero, obstruction of justice

A Jefferson Parish jury early Saturday unanimously found Brandon Cordell Martin guilty of shooting a teen in the head and then attempting to cover his tracks by eliminating evidence tying him to the crime.

Martin, who turned 23 during his trial, was convicted as charged of the second-degree murder of Daz Alexis, 19, of New Orleans.

Martin, who lived in New Orleans and Marrero, and Alexis were in Alexis’ car when Martin shot him behind his left ear on Nov. 19, 2017. He then dumped Alexis’ body in a field near Johnny Jacobs Playground in the 6100 block of 4th Avenue in Marrero.

Martin also was convicted as charged of obstruction of justice, for abandoning Alexis’ car in the 2800 block of Mount Kennedy Drive, tossing the gun and the car keys into a nearby drainage canal and burning the clothing he wore at the time of the shooting.

The jury deliberated less than three hours before returning with its verdicts about 1 a.m., Saturday. Judge E. Adrian Adams of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Martin Nov. 7.

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

Harvey parents sentenced to prison in child cruelty case

A Jefferson Parish judge on Wednesday (Oct. 9) sentenced Lionel Smith of Harvey to 13 years in prison after a jury convicted him of cruelty to juveniles upon he and his girlfriend’s children as well as her children from another relationship.

Judge Stephen Grefer of the 24th Judicial District Court also sentenced the children’s mother, Cieara Wilson, also of Harvey, to eight years in prison, suspending all but one year of the prison term.

Smith, 32, was convicted as charged by a Jefferson Parish jury on Sept. 5 of four counts of cruelty to juveniles. Wilson, 33, who was tried with Smith, was convicted as charged of two counts of cruelty to juveniles. The crimes, which occurred over a period of years, were reported to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in November 2016, when the children were ages 3, 4, 12 and 14.

Wilson was the mother of all four children, and she had two of the children with Smith, who meted out severe punishment to all four children while Wilson did little to nothing to intervene, Judge Grefer noted. He ordered the parents to view crime scene photos of the children’s injuries during the sentencing hearing.

“They were severe,” Judge Grefer said of the injuries. “They were intentional. They were repeated.”

Smith inflicted the brunt of the beatings. Wilson also beat her kids but not as severely. Still, Judge Grefer noted, Wilson did nothing to stop Smith. “I don’t see how you can allow that to happen to your kids,” he said.

Assistant District Attorneys Laura Schneidau and Emily Booth prosecuted the case.

Man convicted of sexually abusing girl sentenced to 60 years

A Jefferson Parish judge sentenced Rafael Chinchilla to 60 years in prison Thursday (Sept. 12), for his conviction of sexually abusing a child.

Chinchilla, 33, a native of Honduras, was convicted by a Jefferson Parish jury on Aug. 30 of sexual battery of a juvenile under age 13, indecent behavior with a juvenile under age 13 and indecent behavior with a juvenile.

The abuse began when the victim was 11 years old and continued until she was 13. The crimes occurred in Metairie and Kenner, during which Chinchilla sent her text messages both professing his love for her and threatening her. Police were notified in February 2017, after the victim’s father searched her mobile device and found evidence of the abuse, including audio of the victim telling Chinchilla to stop.

After hearing impact testimony from the victim and her father, Judge E. Adrian Adams of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Chinchilla to 60 years for the sexual battery, 20 years for the indecent behavior of a juvenile under age 13 and seven years for the indecent behavior with a juvenile. The sentences were run concurrently.

Judge Adams also ordered that, should Chinchilla be released from prison, he be electronically monitored and register as a sex offender for life.

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

Metairie man sentenced to 30 years for sexually abusing boy, child pornography

A Jefferson Parish judge on Monday (Sept. 9) sentenced David Rees of Metairie to 30 years in prison after the defendant pleaded guilty as charged to crimes involving children.

In addition, Rees, 49, will register as a sex offender for life and face a lifetime of electronic monitoring should he be released from prison, 24th Judicial District Judge Stephen Enright ordered in accepting the guilty pleas.

Rees pleaded guilty to seven counts of pornography depicting children under age 13, oral sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile. Rees had been scheduled to stand trial on the charges this week.

Rees was arrested in January after the Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found pornographic images and videos depicting children on his home computer, cellphone, email and other locations. He was also arrested for sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy in 1996. The victim was under the care of Rees’ mother, who ran an unlicensed childcare business from her home, when the abuse occurred.

Judge Enright sentenced Rees to 30 years on each of the seven pornography counts, 15 years for the oral sexual battery and 15 years for the molestation of a juvenile. He ran the sentences concurrently and ordered that the sentences be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

Assistant District Attorneys Lynn Schiffman and Brittany Beckner prosecuted the case.