A recent article in The Advocate reported that guilty pleas in two recent criminal cases will prevent numerous people from having to go through difficult criminal trials. One of those cases involves a 30-year-old man who killed seven Baton Rouge residents in a head-on crash last year in East Feliciana Parish. He pleaded guilty back in December to seven counts of vehicular homicide.
Judge: 2010 sobriety checkpoint was illegal
A decision to throw out an important piece of evidence in a Baton Rouge DWI trial could have a significant effect on future cases. The case involves a drunk-driving charge stemming from a sobriety checkpoint set up back in December 2010. According to the judge that checkpoint was unconstitutional.
Prosecutors appeal suspension of negligent homicide sentence
Earlier this month, a Louisiana district court judge suspended the two-year sentence of a Donaldson man who was convicted of negligent homicide in connection with the 1994 death of a 10-week old St. Amant girl. On Monday, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office initiated an appeal of that decision.
Louisiana judge denies request for shortened prison sentence
Derek Quebedeaux, a Louisiana man sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for driving while under the influence of alcohol and killing three college students, asked for a reduced prison sentence on Wednesday. That sentence was delivered following Quebedeaux’s conviction on three counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree vehicular negligent injuring and five counts of felony hit-and-run. He asked for credit for time served while he was not in jail but electronically monitored, but that request was denied.
Military faces criticism over handling of sexual assault cases
According to a new report from the Pentagon, sexual assaults are a growing problem in all branches of the military. New numbers show that approximately 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted in 2012. And thousands of victims, it is estimated, are still unwilling to come forward despite the fact that there new oversight and assistance programs have been implemented.
Woman faces up to 20 years for fraud on disaster relief organization
Last month, a Slidell woman who apparently lost her job as a cook at a seafood restaurant as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of wire fraud. According to prosecutors in the case, she admitted to sending false earnings statements to a disaster assistance organization in exchange for money.
Young man accused of murders to face possible life in prison without parole
Last Friday, 20-year-old Michal Louding was convicted of murdering Terry Boyd in Baton Rouge in 2009. Louding, about whom we’ve previously written, testified last year during the first-degree murder trial of rapper Torence Hatch. The latter was acquitted in May of hiring Louding to kill Boyd, but Louding was unanimously found guilty of first-degree murder by a different jury in East Baton Rouge.
US high court issues decision in case involving marijuana and mandatory deportation
When an American citizen is charged with marijuana possession in Louisiana, the penalties can range from up to six months in jail and a maximum $500 fine to up to 40 years in prison and a fine as high as $400,000 - depending on the amount of marijuana found in the person's possession and the number of prior offenses.
