Here’s a round-up of recent notable cases from Jefferson Parish’s 24th Judicial District Court.
Miker Ginorio, who killed his father with a baseball bat, gets life sentence
A Jefferson Parish judge on Wednesday (Aug. 26) sentenced Miker Ginorio to life in prison for his conviction for beating his father to death with a baseball bat in their Gretna home.
Ginorio, 42, was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder in the March 31, 2020, death of Carlos Ginorio Sr. The elder Ginorio suffered at least seven blows to his head during the attack inside their home in the 2500 block of Claire Avenue.
Click here to read about the trial.
In a victim-impact statement read aloud in court, the elder Ginorio’s daughter – and sister to Ginorio – called it “an unimaginable situation to be in for anyone, but that’s my reality.”
“It’s a lose-lose for us,” she said. “My dad didn’t deserve to be brutally beaten by anybody, especially not his son. Miker’s and my dad’s relationship wasn’t always so toxic. But Miker’s toxic trait was his drug use and how it would turn him into a different person, a person that was unpleasant to be around.”
After denying defense attorneys’ request to overturn the jury’s verdict, Judge Stephen Grefer of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Ginorio to a mandatory life sentence in prison without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Assistant District Attorneys Brooke Harris and Taylor Somerville prosecuted the case.
Nathaniel Hernandez, who fatally beat and stabbed girlfriend, gets life plus 40
A Jefferson Parish judge has sentenced Nathaniel Hernandez to spend the rest of his life in prison plus another 40 years for his conviction of stabbing and beating his girlfriend to death.
Hernandez, 43, of Marrero, who also uses the name Nathan Mendoza, received the mandatory punishment on Aug. 19, for his conviction of the second-degree murder of Sara Torello, 32. She suffered 22 stab wounds before he left her body under branches in a wooded area near Avondale on Nov. 17, 2022.
Click here to read about the trial.
Hernandez also was convicted of obstruction of justice, for burning Torello’s vehicle in the wooded area where he hid her body. Hernandez, who has a history of domestic violence, physically abused Torello at least four times during the month before her death.
During the sentencing hearing, family and friends of Torello provided victim-impact testimony. They described her as “a vibrant, young, loving mother” of a young son, an artistic and empathetic woman who worked two jobs to care for her boy and who confided her concerns about remaining with Hernandez.
“During the whole trial, there was no one behind you to support you, no one to speak on your behalf. Not a single person, Nathan,” Torello’s father told Hernandez. “The sad irony is that you were tried and found guilty of killing the one person that cared about you, the one person that saw something in you, the one person that showed you kindness.”
“You brutally stabbed and killed my daughter and then you tried to clumsily and cruelly conceal your horrendous crime,” he continued. “Obviously, you have no remorse. The pain that you caused to our family means nothing to you. The fact that you left an autistic child without his mother means nothing to you.”
After denying defense motions for a new trial and to overturn the jury’s verdict, Judge Michael Mentz of the 24th Judicial District Court sentenced Hernandez to life without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, and to 40 years for obstruction of justice. He ran the sentences consecutively.
Assistant District Attorneys Piper Didier and Leo Aaron prosecuted the case.
Ronell Everson admits to sexually abusing child, gets 40 years
Ronell Everson, 39, of Metairie, was sentenced Tuesday (Aug. 25) to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child.
“There is some hope in the world, but luckily you will never see it again,” the child’s grandmother told Everson in victim-impact testimony during the plea hearing, moments before Judge Michael Mentz of the 24th Judicial District Court announced the sentences.
The abuse came to light in January 2023, when Everson was discovered nude and sleeping in bed with the partially clothed victim, who was age 13 at the time. The victim later disclosed to a social worker at Manning Family Children’s hospital that the abuse had been happening for the prior three years.
When questioned by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office detective, Everson denied abusing the child and asserted he suffered from erectile disfunction. Everson’s DNA tied him to the sexual abuse.
He had faced trial on a charge of first-degree rape, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. His guilty plea to second-degree rape, which was supported by the victim’s family, adverted the need for the victim to testify at trial.
In addition to second-degree rape, Everson pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a juvenile under age 13, molestation of a juvenile under age 13 and molestation of a juvenile.
Judge Mentz sentenced Everson to 40 years for the rape, sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile under age 13, and 20 years for the molestation of a juvenile charge.
The sentences were run concurrently and will be served at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
“You will be required, if you’re ever released from the Department of Corrections, to register as a sex offender,” Judge Mentz told him.
Judge Mentz also issued a stay-away order that bars Everson from contacting the victim.
Assistant District Attorneys Piper Didier and James Wascom prosecuted the case.