A man who shot and killed an acquaintance in the Highland neighborhood will serve the rest of his life in prison for the crime, a Caddo Parish judge ruled Monday, July 15, 2024.
District Judge Michael Pitman ordered Torail Thomas, 44, to the mandatory term for the November 10, 2022 second-degree murder of Da’Twaine Broomfield. Thomas also must serve 20 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and 30 years for obstruction of justice, all sentences to run consecutive to one another.
Victim Broomfield, 32, arrived at Thomas’s home on Boulevard Street and an argument ensued. Neighbors heard a conversation upstairs, followed by gunshots and after a pause, additional gunshots. Thomas was seen running from his home and tossing items underneath it and the house next door. When asked by a neighbor what had happened, he said there was a dead man in his home. He told responding officers Broomfield had consumed some methamphetamine and that while he was in the bathroom, someone else had shot Broomfield. Firearm parts of the murder weapon were found under the home. When confronted by detectives, Thomas eventually confessed to shooting Broomfield, claiming self-defense, even though the victim was not armed.
Thomas was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Sam Crichton and Victoria Washington. He was defended by Michael Enright and Katie Miller.
The case was docket No. 392346.

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