Did you know Caddo Parish is one of only four parishes in Louisiana with a dedicated juvenile court? We, along with Orleans, Jefferson and East Baton Rouge Parishes, have a juvenile court with elected juvenile court judges who hear all matters regarding children. Current law limits and names which crimes committed by juveniles can be tried as adults, such as murder, armed robbery and rape. An attempt in March to do away with that list was rejected overwhelmingly by Louisiana voters. Now legislation has sailed through a Louisiana Senate committee to snake around the will of the voters and send those 15 years old and up to be tried before adult court judges rather than juvenile court judges, inexplicably to apply the same Louisiana Children’s Code laws to these juveniles. The bill deletes our Caddo Parish Juvenile Court as having exclusive jurisdiction of juvenile matters. This legislation, if passed, authored with no explanation by the filer a local legislator, is the effective beginning of the end of our Caddo Parish Juvenile Court.
We have had a history of a strong and effective juvenile court in Caddo Parish. The late Judges Gorman Taylor and Andrew Gallagher, their successors David Matlock, Paul Young, Vernon Claville and Shonda Stone , presided over juveniles for many generations. Your current Juvenile Court Judges are Ree Casey-Jones, Natalie Howell and Justin Courtney. They oversee the juvenile court, the staff of the 26-bed juvenile detention center, probation officers and various courts, including child support, truancy, drug court, human trafficking court and a mental health court. They preside over juvenile criminal cases, and also the cases where the State of Louisiana has taken custody of children away from parents. Their work, while cloaked in confidentiality, is of vital importance to the community. And they do a fine job.
The cases that I transfer to adult court for adult prosecution are not transferred due to dissatisfaction with juvenile court judges, as this law supposes, but because the transferred juvenile defendant has committed crimes for which the juvenile sentencing maximum age of 21 is not sufficient.
This proposed law was filed to address the perception in New Orleans that their juvenile court judges are “soft on crime.” I can assure you that the juvenile judges in Caddo Parish and our prosecutors are not “soft on crime.” We are often advised by the Office of Juvenile Justice that we are the state leader in incarcerated juveniles. But to apply this proposed law in any form affects the entire state and Caddo Parish in a bad way. A DA’s transfer of a 15- or 16-year-old’s felony case from a juvenile court judge to an adult court judge, such as for felony theft for stealing an iPhone, would jam up the already crowded adult system. In 2023 our juvenile court saw 610 felony cases. In 2024, it saw 501 felony cases. Inevitably, there will be enormous pressure on any DA from victims and social media commentators to try all juveniles before what they perceive as harsher adult court judges.
This bill was filed with no discussion with myself or our Juvenile and District Court judges. I continue to propose that legislators concerned about juvenile crime focus their efforts not on who is the judge, but on establishing programs for youth in at-risk communities, providing effective life-changing curriculum for troubled youth while in state custody, and programs providing post-incarceration supervision, mentorship, job skills, and support for crime-free living.
I love New Orleans. After graduation from C.E. Byrd High School I went to both college and law school in New Orleans. And everyone knows that I love my New Orleans Saints. But respectfully, I ask that our Caddo legislators please keep New Orleans court system battles in New Orleans.
In April 2025, where we recognized and celebrated National Crime Victims Month, our assistant district attorneys, public defenders, judges, support staff, witnesses, forensic experts, law enforcement officers, and jurors were busy, as usual, in securing convictions and putting those convicted behind bars.
* A Greenwood man who sexually assaulted a prepubescent girl numerous times into her teen years, and who was convicted of rape April 9, must serve the rest of his life in prison.
District Judge Chris Victory sentenced Donovan Phillips, 46, to the term, which must be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, for first-degree rapes that started when the victim was 7 and continued until she was age 12. The attacks ended in May 2020, and the victim reported them to her mother that September.
He also must register as a sex offender for life.
Phillips was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Victoria Washington and Courtney N. Ray. He was defended by Michael Enright and Silver Sanders.
The case was docket No. 378924.
* A Shreveport man with a felony criminal history who fled police after a traffic stop and was found to possess a firearm was convicted April 24.
The seven-woman, five-man jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.’s court deliberated about 45 minutes before returning a unanimous guilty-as-charged verdict against Anthony Tyrone Ashley, 44, on the charge of possession of a firearm by a felon. The jury also returned a responsive guilty verdict on a misdemeanor charge of flight from an officer. The trial began April 23.
Over the course of the trial, the District Attorney’s office called three witnesses to prove that on November 18, 2024, Ashley fled after officers working an unrelated call on Grove Street noticed a vehicle being driven with an improper license plate tag. Ashley, later identified as the driver, ignored attempts by officers to stop him and for seven minutes ignored stop signs while traveling down one- and two-lane roads, weaving into opposite lanes, and finally stopping at Poland Street. He ignored verbal police commands to stay in the car and fled. When officers captured him, they found a firearm on him. He had been previously convicted of simple Burglary in 2016 and was barred from possession of a weapon for 10 years. Police body camera and dash cams, as well as fingerprints, also were introduced at trial.
When Ashley returns to court for sentencing May 12, he faces a prison term of at least five and up to 20 years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence for the felony firearms conviction.
Assistant District Attorneys Stephen Folk-Cruthirds and Christopher Bowman prosecuted Ashley, who was defended by Katherine Ferguson and Evan McMichael.
The case was docket No. Docket 405229.
* A Dallas, Texas man was convicted April 23, for the January 2022 slaying of Shreveporter Jermond Houston in a West 70th Street convenience store.
After hearing testimony and reviewing evidence, the 10-man, two-woman jury in District Judge Donald Hathaway Jr.’s court returned a unanimous guilty-as-charged second-degree murder verdict against Noel Deon Garner, 30. Deliberations took less than an hour.
The January 20, 2022 slaying occurred inside the Shell Station in the 5400 block of West 70th Street just after midnight. Garner walked into the store while victim Houston, 25, was checking out. Garner approached Houston from behind and snatched a 9mm handgun with an extended magazine from Houston’s right pocket. Houston tried to flee out the door of the Shell Station but before he could exit, Garner opened fire, bullets striking Houston in the back. Garner continued to fire at Houston as he struck the ground. Garner shot Houston 26 times and even managed to shoot himself in a foot. He then fled in a white sedan that later was found and impounded.
When Garner returns to court for sentencing May 15, 2025, he faces a mandatory life term without possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Bowman and Stephen Folk-Cruthirds prosecuted Garner. Richard ‘Ti-Dale’ Woolbert defended him.
The case was docket No. 387323.
* A Shreveport convicted in early April of firing a sawed-off shotgun at an SUV and gravely injuring a 2-year-old was sentenced April 23 to the maximum prison term, 40 years at hard labor with credit for time served.
Robert Mack Whitaker, 24, was sentenced by District Judge Ramona Emanuel.
The incident occurred on May 16, 2020, on Wagner Street. Whitaker armed himself with a sawed-off shotgun and fired four times into a Nissan SUV. The shots injured a 2-year-old child seated in the rear passenger area. The child was hit by shotgun pellets and shattered glass after Whitaker fired through the closed windows of the vehicle.
In addition to his prison term, which must be served without the possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, Whitaker is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and from contacting any victims in the case.
Whitaker was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ron Christopher Stamps and Britney A. Green. Dave Knadler and Royal Alexander defended Whitaker.
The case was docket No. 392006.
* A Shreveporter convicted March 12 of robbing a man of his rifle and then killing his victim must serve 13 decades in prison, a Caddo District judge has ordered.
SirElderick Deon Hays, 25, convicted of manslaughter , was sentenced by Judge Chris Victory April 16 to serve 40 years at hard labor for manslaughter, 75 years for armed robbery and 15 years for being a felon with a weapon, and must pay a $5,000 fine on the weapons conviction. The terms must be served consecutively and without benefit of pardon, parole or reduction of sentence.
Hays shot the victim, Xavier Griffin in his neck, March 31, 2021, as Mr. Griffin was showing a newly purchased rifle to several friends near Lakeside Garden Apartments. Hays joined them and Griffin fired a round from the rifle into the air. He started to head back to the apartment when Hays asked him for the rifle. Griffin, reluctant, said no, but Hays snatched the rifle from him. A struggle ensued, and Hays pulled out a handgun and fired a single round at Griffin. The round struck Griffin in the neck, and he died at the scene. Hays fled with both weapons.
Witnesses were reluctant to assist police, though some cooperated. Both .223 and .40 caliber shell casings were recovered, as was surveillance footage showing Griffin and Hays and at least two other individuals walking through the complex. The video also showed Hays taking the rifle from Griffin, and the two struggling over the weapon. Hays was identified through crime stoppers and also in a lineup. He denied any knowledge of the crime.
Assistant District Attorneys Victoria Washington and Courtney Ray prosecuted Hays, who was defended by Michael Enright and Katie Miller.
The case was docket No. 382230.
* A Shreveport teen convicted in late March of shooting and killing a Booker T. Washington high student three years ago was sentenced to a mandatory life term in prison April 14.
Eric Dewayne Green, 19, was sentenced by District Judge John D. Mosley Jr. The term must be served without benefit of probation or suspension of sentence. But as Green was a juvenile at the time of the January 27, 2022 slaying of Deanthony Walker, 17, in the 1300 block of Harvard Avenue and Harp Street as he walked home from school, he will be eligible for parole at some later date.
Green was the first of three defendants, all teens at the time, to stand trial for Mr. Walker’s slaying.
When officers arrived on scene they located Mr. Walker deceased in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Crime scene investigators located 26 9mm shell casings at the scene along with three .357 caliber shell casings. Door video from a nearby residence showed a black Kia Soul, later determined to have been stolen that morning, drive by the victim as he walked down Harvard. The Soul stopped in the road and one of the occupants called the victim to the vehicle. At that time, Green exited the driver’s side back seat and fired 17 9mm rounds at Mr. Walker from a Glock 19 pistol. A co-defendant then allegedly fired a .357-caliber gun from the passenger’s side rear of the Kia as the victim ran away. A third co-defendant in the front passenger seat then left the car, walked over to Mr. Walker and allegedly shot him point-blank range while he was on the pavement.
Two days later, the Kia was involved in a car chase with police. The occupants of the car fled but were apprehended not far away. The fourth occupant told police that Green and the other two teens were in the Kia on the day Mr. Walker was shot and that he witnessed the shooting. Police also seized a cellphone from Green when he was apprehended.
The phone’s location data indicated that Green was parked across the street from Booker T. Washington High School before Mr. Walker left school. School surveillance video showed a black Kia drive in front of the school, park in the parking lot across the street and leave as Mr. Walker left school. Location data from the phone also showed that he was less than a block away from where the homicide took place. The gun Green used was found at the co-defendant’s home and was determined to have fired 17 of the 26 9-mm shell casings recovered from the scene. Green’s DNA also was found on multiple items found in the Kia Soul.
Green was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith and Bill Edwards. He was defended by Casey Simpson and Harry Johnson.
The case was docket No. 387430.
* A Shreveport man convicted in March for killing a convenience store clerk in 2022 was sentenced to life in prison April 8.
Damion Daron Sherfield, 23, received the mandatory sentence from Caddo District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr. for the February 15, 2022 second-degree murder of Roderick Walker, 29. The sentence must be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
Sherfield murdered Mr. Walker inside the Village Food Store in the 5300 block of Jewella Avenue, after talking to the manager and confronting the victim on his way out. Sherfield pulled out a gun and fired three shots at Mr. Walker, one striking him in the chest. Sherfield then fled the scene and did not surrender to authorities until two days later. Mr. Walker was transported to Ochsner LSU Health hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.
The defense called Sherfield’s mother, who was sitting in a car outside the store at the time, as well as Sherfield himself, in an attempt to establish self-defense or provocation by Mr. Walker, arguments rejected by the jury.
Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Bowman and Jason Waltman prosecuted the case. Katie Ferguson and Madison Crusan defended Sherfield.
The case was docket No. 387699.
* A Shreveport man who sexually abused a female family member over four years was convicted of sexual battery April 10.
Billy Ray Ford Jr., 47, committed the acts from early 2003 to late 2007 against the teenaged victim, who first reported the crime to her parents in 2004, but was not believed. Ford continued to sexually assault the victim, from fondling at first to eventual intercourse.
The three-man, three-woman jury in District Judge Chris Victory’s court heard from the victim and the investigating detective from Shreveport Police. Ford called the victim’s own mother and stepfather to testify in his defense. Jurors deliberated about 90 minutes before finding Ford guilty as charged.
Ford has a previous conviction in Bossier Parish of sexually assaulting another family member. Thus Ford is subject to a habitual offender bill, offering enhanced sentencing above and beyond the up-to-10 years sentence he faces when he returns to court May 19.
Assistant District Attorneys Courtney N. Ray and Victoria T. Washington prosecuted Ford, who was defended by Trey Magee and Leslie Kelly.
The case was docket No. 379157.
* The Caddo Parish Grand Jury closed out April 2025 with four indictments, two for second-degree murders and two for sexual crimes. The indictments were issued April 30.
Jermaine Choate and Dandre Marquis Webb both were charged with separate second-degree murders. Both are incarcerated at Caddo Correctional Center.
- * Choate, 20, of Mesquite, Texas, is charged with the July 6, 2024 shooting of Deidrick James. James, 14, was shot at Bilberry Park in a dispute over headphones at a community gathering. His case is docket No. 406587.
- * Shreveporter Webb, 26, is charged with the shooting death of James T. White the afternoon of January 23, 2025. White, 71, was shot in the 500 block of East 70th Street as he was for a bus. His case is docket No. 406551.
Limited information is available regarding the sex crimes, with the indictments issued under seal due to the nature of the crimes alleged.
- * Louis Bates, no age or city of residence available, is charged with first-degree rape and cruelty to persons with infirmities.
- * Macgreger Baird, 54, of Shreveport, is charged with first-degree rape, sexual battery and indecent behavior with juveniles. He was booked into CCC on February 11, 2025.
As we enter May and graduation season , I want to say to all who have sent me graduation invitations that I will attend as many as possible. If I do not see you, I want to wish a big Congratulations to all the graduates, and wish you well on the next steps of your journey. This has been a fine year in our Caddo Parish schools. And congratulations to the Calvary girls’ softball state champions!
At your service,
James E. Stewart Sr.
Caddo Parish District Attorney