Happy Women’s History Month! To every woman making a difference from within the home, to the board room and courthouses, and everywhere in between, we celebrate you. To all of our female staff and administration we applaud you for your work par excellence. Congratulations to our very own Assistant District Attorney Senae Hall for making the cover of SB Magazine and to all other ADAs who are named SB Magazine Top Attorneys for 2023, as voted by their peers: Brittany Bass Arvie, Mekisha Smith Creel, Sam Crichton, Senae Hall, Courtney Ray, Kodie Smith, and Victoria Washington.
Don’t forget to cast your vote this month too. March 23rd is Election Day, and we’re encouraging everyone to get out and vote. Early voting starts Saturday, March 9th, and runs through Saturday, March 16th, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day at two locations, the Caddo Registrar of Voters Office, downtown at 525 Marshall Street, Suite 103 and at Shreve Memorial Library Hamilton/ South Caddo Branch at 2111 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop. Polls will be closed on Sunday, March 10th.
February was a short month, but a busy one. We celebrated Minden’s L’Jarius Sneed and Tyler’s Patrick Mahomes, Jr. Super Bowl victory, and Mardi Gras. We celebrated Black History Month. Our office also highlighted the work we’ve done with the Shreveport Police Department in fighting crime in 2023. We held a joint press conference on Wednesday, February 7, highlighting the concerted efforts made by both agencies to combat crime. We say “thank you” to our news media partners for attending this informative event.
Our office continues to bring justice. We kicked off the month of February with numerous jury trials, convictions and sentencings. Amongst them:
*Robert E. Todd, 54, pleaded guilty to first-degree rape before his trial began on February 5, 2024, and was sentenced by Caddo District Judge John D. Mosely Jr. to 50 years at hard labor, with the first 25 years to be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Todd also must register as a sex offender for life. Todd was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Courtney N. Ray. He was defended by Casey Simpson.
*Demarcus Bradford also pleaded guilty to second-degree rape after he forced the daughter of a dating partner to submit to a sexual attack, in Caddo District Court Wednesday, February 7, 2024, and was sentenced to serve 15 years at hard labor by Judge Michael Pitman. Bradford was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sam Crichton. He was defended by Rickey Swift.
*Latrell Ben Taylor, 33, pleaded guilty to assault and home invasion before District Judge Michael Pitman just before his trial began on February 7, 2024. Judge Pitman sentenced Taylor to serve eight years in prison at hard labor. Assistant District Attorney Hilary Hileman prosecuted the case, docket No. 394075. Taylor was defended by Michael Enright.
*Robert Garner pleaded guilty to first-degree bank robbery Thursday, February 8, in Caddo District Court. District Judge John D. Mosely Jr. sentenced Robert Garner, 54, to serve 15 years at hard labor without the benefit of suspended sentence, parole or probation. Garner tried to rob a local bank with a makeshift bomb.
*Dontreal Damon Quayce York, 19, of Haughton pleaded guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery before Caddo District Judge Don Hathaway, Jr. during jury selection on Tuesday, February 27.
He’ll be sentenced on April 20, where he faces up to 40 years for manslaughter and up to 99 years for armed robbery without the benefit of parole, probation or suspended sentence.
His coconspirator is scheduled for trial in April. York was prosecuted by Jason Waltman and Christopher Bowman and defended by Richard Woolbert. Docket #: 380935
Other convictions during the month includes the following:
*Roynell O’Neal, 37, was found guilty as charged Monday, February 5, 2024, of possession of methamphetamine. He faces a prison term of one to two years and/or a fine of up to $5,000. Assistant District Attorneys Erica Jefferson and Ross Owen prosecuted the case. O’Neal was defended by Edward Mouton. The case was docket No. 380160.
*Michael Riley was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. He fired shots at a couple after a party, killing one man and wounding his female partner. He faces a mandatory life prison term for murder, up to 50 years for attempted murder and five to 20 years for gun possession conviction.
Assistant District Attorneys Sam Crichton and Chris Bowman prosecuted the case. Riley was defended by Michael Enright and Stephen Folk-Cruthirds. The case was docket No. 382248.
*Two south Louisiana men convicted in December 2023 for a murder committed at a west Shreveport motel will spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Jonathan Crenshaw and Terence Felix Jr., both of Abbeville, received the mandatory terms for second-degree murder from the Honorable Mike Pitman in Caddo District Court Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The sentences must be served at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith and Bill Edwards prosecuted Crenshaw and Felix. Crenshaw was defended by Michael Enright and Dave Knadler. Felix was defended by Sean Landry. The cases were docket Nos. 385727, 372007 and 369850.
*Deangelo Whitaker, one of three men charged in the shooting death of Emmanuel King in May 2021, was found guilty of second-degree murder in Caddo District Court, Thursday, February 29, 2024. His co-defendants Anderito Smith, Jr. and Zykeyland Johnson both pled guilty on February 26, 2024, days before the trial began.
Caddo District Court Judge Ramona Emmanuel will sentence Whitaker on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Smith faces mandatory life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Whitaker’s co-defendants Smith and Johnson both pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Smith was sentenced to 40 years at hard labor. Johnson was sentenced to 20 years at hard labor.
Whitaker was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith and Bill Edwards. He was defended by Katherine Ferguson and Royal Alexander. The case docket No. 398588
The Caddo Parish Grand Jury returned three indictments, one charging Koryeon Marshun Vance, 18 with one count of second-degree murder in the killing of Malik Henderson, 27.
The grand jury also issued two other secret indictments.
Parents, do you know where children are at all times? This question is of great importance, as we continue to move more teen criminal cases to adult court!
Two more teens will have cases tried in Caddo District Court and not in the juvenile system.
Southern Armijo, 17, is charged with attempted second-degree murder in connection with the January 26 stabbings of a fellow inmate at a juvenile halfway house in Shreveport. Armijo, who is not from this area, was serving a juvenile sentence emanating from convictions in Concordia Parish at the time.
In a separate matter, 15-year-old Jutristyn Horace is charged with two counts of armed robbery. Horace allegedly committed armed robberies at gunpoint on victims on January 1 and January 2 in downtown Shreveport. Both victims described – and video surveillance confirmed – Horace’s yellow croc shoes and ankle monitor from a previous juvenile court probation sentence.
Both defendants were ordered transferred from the Caddo Parish Juvenile Detention Center to Caddo Correctional Center pending trial by District Court Judge John D. Mosely, Jr.
The two are the second and third juveniles in Caddo Parish transferred to face prosecution as adults in 2024. In 2023, 22 juveniles were transferred.
The Louisiana Children’s Code, Article 305, provides for the divestiture of juvenile court jurisdiction upon review by the District Attorney for offenders aged 15 years or older for a number of criminal acts. A provision of the same code’s Article 879 further provides that all proceedings in a juvenile delinquency case involving a crime of violence as defined by the code must be open to the public.
Not all is doom and gloom with our young people. Congratulations to the Parkway Lady Panthers on their back-to- back basketball state championships. And what a half-court shot by our friend Jarvis Larry’s daughter Chloe to send the Lady Panthers into the championship game! Best wishes and safe travels to the Southwood Cowboys and their supporters in the state semifinals tonight and hopefully in the championships this weekend.
At your service,
James E. Stewart
Caddo District Attorney