Desk of the DA October 2026

Last week I had the pleasure to attend the Gingerbread House “Partners in Prevention” luncheon at the Sam’s Town Hotel ballroom.   The Gingerbread House is our community’s invaluable   partner in our office’s ongoing efforts to protect children who have experienced abuse.   When the Gingerbread House Children’s Advocacy Center was established in 1998, the conviction rate in child sexual abuse cases was approximately 5 percent.  Today, I am extremely pleased to share with you that number has climbed to 97 percent in cases supported by the organization’s work, according to Gingerbread House’s wonderful CEO Jessica Milan Miller.   That’s the power of partnership.  A huge thank you to Ms. Miller, her board of directors, and staff for all that you do to help protect children.    

Our assistant district attorneys , staff, judges,  and court staff, as usual,  had a busy October. Here are some cases of note:

* A Shreveport man who strangled his wife was convicted of first-offense domestic abuse battery October 29, 2026. 

Lucien Hall, 44, was convicted after an hour's deliberation by the eight-woman, four-man jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court.

The battery occurred February 21, 2024, when police responded to a residence in Shreveport where Hall's then-wife reported a domestic incident, where he confronted her, then punched and shoved her. In the back bedroom, he pinned her head down while her neck was on an object. This constricted her airway, causing bruising and lacerations that were shown to the jury. The victim managed to get up and Hall fled.  

Hall will return to court November 5, 2026 for sentencing. Under state law, this crime carries a six-month parish jail sentence with a mandatory $300 fine and other statutory requirements.

Hall was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Stephen Folk-Cruthirds and Courtney N. Ray. The Caddo Public Defender's office represented him. 

The case was docket No. 406828.

* A Shreveport man who shot and killed an acquaintance in 2023, then stole the dead man's car to flee to Texas, was convicted of that and other crimes October 28, 2026.

The three-woman, nine-man jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court deliberated less than an hour before returning its guilty-as-charged decision against Kenavion Marquis Baker, 29, for second-degree murder, armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for the July 5, 2023 slaying of Terry Morris, 20.

Morris and a friend, Kaleb Washington, went to Baker's house in north Shreveport, where Baker was to work on Morris's car. Shortly after arriving, without provocation, Baker shot Morris in the head with a firearm he was not legally allowed to possess due to a prior felony conviction for aggravated flight from an officer. Then at gunpoint, he robbed Washington of his phone. Washington pleaded for his life, which was overheard by a person on the other end of a phone call with Morris. Baker then ordered Washington to retrieve a blanket to wrap the body in and to help him load the body into Morris’s car. 

After driving Washington home, Baker fled in Morris's car to Natchitoches. Investigators traced the car through the cell phone, and Baker led authorities on a high-speed pursuit to San Augustine, Texas, where he wrecked the car and fled into a wooded area and was arrested the next day. The wrecked car still held Morris's body, and the gun used in the shooting was located nearby.

Jurors heard an eyewitness, the earwitness on the phone with Morris at the time of his killing, SPD investigators, a forensic pathologist, a DNA expert and a firearms examiner. 

Baker will return to court November 5, 2026 for sentencing, where he faces a mandatory hard-labor life term without benefit of probation, parole or reduction of sentence for the murder conviction, at least 10 and up to 99 years for the armed robbery with a five-year enhancement for the use of the firearm, and at least five and up to 20 years for the firearm conviction.

Baker was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Courtney N. Ray and Stephen Folk-Cruthirds. He was defended by Harry Johnson and Silver Sanders.

The case was docket No. 396253.

* A Shreveport woman about to go on trial for revenge porn October 29, 2026, pleaded guilty instead.

Nikki Kennedy, 44, pleaded guilty as jury selection was about to begin in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s courtroom. She faced a single count of nonconsensual disclosure of a private image, punishable upon conviction by imprisonment up to two years and a fine of up to $10,000.

She sent nude pictures of the victim to his employer with the intent to harass him.  Kennedy had given the victim an ultimatum to comply with her demands or she would release the images. When the victim didn’t comply, she emailed the images to his employers, which ultimately resulted in the termination of his employment.

She will return to Judge Hathaway's court for sentencing November 18, 2026. 

Kennedy was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Stephen Folk-Cruthirds and Courtney N. Ray. The Caddo Public Defender's office represented her. 

The case was docket No. 410494.

* A Shreveport man facing trial in Caddo District Court on a variety of felony sex crimes pleaded guilty October 28, 2026 and received maximum prison terms for his offenses.

Johnathan Reed Collins, 35, pleaded guilty before District Judge Ramona Emanuel to 42 counts of pornography involving juveniles and 29 counts of sexual abuse of an animal. A jury of eight women and four men had been seated and opening statements had been made. The investigating detective began his testimony, when Collins chose to plead guilty to all of the charges, for which Judge Emanuel immediately rendered sentences.

For each count of pornography involving juveniles, Collins was sentenced to 20 years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. For each count of sexual abuse of an animal, he was sentenced to five years at hard labor. Upon release from prison, he must register as a sex offender for 25 years. He also was ordered to not own or possess any animals for at least five years. The prison terms are the maximums allowed under state law. All sentences are to be served concurrently.

In December 2024, Caddo Parish investigators received a tip that Collins had been sharing child pornography online on an app known as Kik and was using other apps to receive and distribute child pornography. A subsequent investigation into Collins and seizure of his electronic devices led to the discovery of more than 20 images and videos involving sexual abuse of animals and more child pornography.

Collins was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Fernando Grider Jr. and Kodie K. Smith. He was defended by Royal Alexander and Dave Knadler.

The case was docket Nos. 409757 and 409779.

* A Tennessee man pleaded guilty October 22, 2026, to two counts of rape that occurred when he was living in Shreveport years ago, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Lamarcus Antwan Dorsey, 33, of Memphis, pleaded guilty before District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr., to two counts of third-degree rape, involving two girls he babysat when they were tender-aged and who he forced to perform sex acts on him while their mother was at work, from 2014 to 2016. The children told their mother, but nothing was done to protect them.  They again disclosed details of their ordeal several years later to another family member and an investigation was conducted in Tennessee, where the children were living at that time. An arrest warrant was issued by the Shreveport Police Department for Dorsey, which was executed in late 2025. The female victims, now both over age 18, approved the terms of Dorsey's pleading.

Dorsey was sentenced to 15 years on each count, to be served concurrently, without benefit of probation, parole or reduction of sentence. Dorsey also must register as a sex offender for life.

Assistant District Attorney Courtney N. Ray prosecuted Dorsey. He was defended by Bryce Kinley.

The case was docket No. 413662.

* A local dentist who pleaded guilty in August to numerous domestic violence felonies was sentenced to 17 years in prison -- the maximum allowed under law -- for his crimes.

John Allen Russ, 39, of Shreveport, was ordered to serve eight years at hard labor for domestic abuse battery with serious bodily injury, three years at hard labor for domestic abuse battery by strangulation, and to three years at hard labor for each of two counts of domestic abuse battery with child endangerment. District Judge Chris Victory ordered the terms to be served consecutively. In his sentencing, Judge Victory cited Russ’s likelihood of committing additional violent acts and determined he posed a risk to the community.

Russ, who previously practiced dentistry in Louisiana and Texas, pleaded guilty in Caddo District Court August 3, 2026. 

The charges stemmed from a violent domestic attack that occurred early May 4, 2024, at a Shreveport residence Russ and his victim, at the time his fiancée, shared. Russ became enraged and attacked the woman. He pulled her by her feet from the bed, pinned her to the floor and then forced her against a bedroom door while choking her. Russ held her by the neck with such force she was lifted completely off the ground, unable to breathe. She believed she was going to die. Somehow, she broke free but Russ grabbed her by the head and slammed her into a dresser, injuring her forehead. She lost consciousness and awoke bleeding on the floor.

Two children, both under age 13, were inside the residence at the time, leading to the domestic abuse battery with child endangerment charges.

Police investigating the incident learned that Russ had committed other acts of violence against the victim that she had been too afraid to report.

Prosecution was handled by the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office's Special Victims Unit, with Assistant District Attorneys Britney A. Green and Ron Christopher Stamps representing the state. Russ was defended by J. Dhu Thompson.

The case was docket No. 404557.

* A Bossier City man convicted in September of sexual offenses against a teenaged disabled girl must serve a century in prison, be chemically castrated and register as a sex offender, a Caddo Parish judge ruled October 21, 2026.

Citing Derrick Boyd's lengthy history of sex crimes, District Judge Chris Victory sentenced him to 75 years in prison for molestation of a person with mental or physical disabilities, and to 25 years in prison for second-degree rape. The terms are to be served at hard labor and consecutively, totaling 100 years. Judge Victory also ordered that the sentences be served without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. And he granted the state's request for chemical castration. 

Boyd, 45, also will have to register as a sex offender for life for the second degree rape. He also must register as a sex offender for 25 years for the molestation of a person with mental or physical disabilities.

Boyd was found guilty of second-degree rape and molestation of a person with disabilities in District Judge Chris Victory's court September 29, 2026. The victim reported the attack to police on March 18, 2025. Detectives took the girl to the Gingerbread House, the local child advocacy center, for a forensic interview. During the interview, she disclosed that Boyd, her mother’s boyfriend, had covered her mouth and sexually assaulted her while her mother slept. The child repeatedly told Boyd to stop and that she was uncomfortable and scared.

The victim suffered from multiple disabilities such as autism, anxiety and depression, of which Boyd was aware. Prosecutors also called a previous victim, aged 12 at the time, who was sexually assaulted by Boyd in 2019 in Bossier Parish. Testimony revealed that this victim also suffered from cognitive issues similar to the 2025 victim. 

Assistant District Attorneys Chase Burgess, Victoria Washington and Rachel Hughes prosecuted Boyd. He was represented by the Caddo Parish Public Defenders office.

The case was docket No. 407739.

* A former employee of a local law firm was sentenced Monday, October 19, 2026, after pleading guilty to stealing $173,000 from the firm.

Sarah Steiner, 43, pleaded guilty as charged to one count of felony theft involving $25,000 or more before District Judge John D. Mosely Jr.

Judge Mosely sentenced Steiner to 10 years at hard labor, with all but two years suspended, followed by five years of active supervised probation. Steiner was also ordered to pay $147,000 in restitution to the Trey Morris Law Firm.

Steiner was prosecuted by Ron Christopher Stamps of our office's Special Victims Unit. She was represented by attorney Keith Whiddon.

The case was docket No. 401394.

* A Shreveport man, convicted of armed robbery late last year, but who escaped custody and eluded authorities for a week before being recaptured in East Texas, was sentenced to 200 years in prison October 21, 2026.

Treveon Jackson, 24, was sentenced by District Judge John D. Mosely Jr., who presided over Jackson's bench trial last year. The sentence is 200 years at hard labor without probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Jackson was found guilty October 15, 2025, in the 2021 armed robbery of a truck driver at the Sinclair station on Greenwood Road.

Jackson escaped from Caddo Parish Sheriff's deputies late September 14, 2026 outside Ochsner LSU Health hospital on Kings Highway, as he was being readied for return to  Caddo Correctional Center. He was recaptured September 22, 2026, without incident by the U.S. Marshals Service in Marshall, Texas. 

Following his sentencing, Jackson was returned to federal custody pending further court appearances on his remaining charges.

Jackson was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ross Owen. He was defended by Sean Fore.

The case was docket No. 391312.

* A Shreveport man involved in the violent gunshot death of a sleeping year-old child in February 2024 was found responsively guilty of manslaughter October 16, 2026.

It took the four-woman, eight-man jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court around 90 minutes to unanimously find Deanthony Griffin, 30, guilty.

Over the course of the trial, prosecutors called 20 witnesses to prove that Griffin was a principal to the killing of one-year-old K.M. at the Stone Vista apartments  in the 500 block of East Stoner Avenue.  In the early morning hours of February 11, 2024, as the infant slept in his mother’s arms, seven individuals approached the apartment building. They fired 57 rounds from at least four different weapons at the building, striking several different apartments. A round struck the sleeping infant in the head, killing him instantly.

Evidence presented at the trial including videos from the Real Time Crime Center, historic cell phone data and additional security camera footage gathered by the Shreveport Police Department, established that Griffin and a codefendant still awaiting trial, left the Time Out Bar together but drove in different vehicles.  While travelling along I-220, one of the two fired at least 18 rounds at a car, striking its driver. Griffin and the other man then travelled to a home on Skelley Street where they remained about 30 minutes.

Cell phone data then showed that the vehicles travelled around Shreveport together, Griffin and the other man in contact with each other on their phones. They then proceeded to the Stone Vista apartments together. While the codefendant drove around the exterior of the complex, Griffin travelled through a fire lane that went through the complex. Griffin then drove slowly in front of the building that would soon become the target of gunfire. Griffin and the co-defendant then parked their cars two blocks away and walked to the shooting scene.

The state was able to establish that Griffin turned his cellphone off five minutes before the shooting and then reactivated it 30 minutes later, back on Skelley Street with the co-defendant.   

Assistant District Attorneys Bill Edwards and Christopher Bowman prosecuted the case for the state. Griffin was defended by Alex Washington III and Alex Washington Jr.

The case was docket No. 400232.

October 7, 2026

Johnny Kelly sentenced for gun crime

A Shreveport man convicted in August of illegal possession of a firearm was sentenced in Caddo District Court Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

Johnny Kelly, 29, must serve seven and a half years in prison, District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr. ordered. The term must be served at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Kelly was convicted August 21, 2026.

On November 20, 2024, a Shreveport police officer patrolling near the Sunset Acres Park after it closed at 10 p.m. saw two vehicles in the parking lot. As he approached the vehicles, a male passenger in one of the vehicles stepped out of the vehicle and it could be observed there was a gun on the floor by his feet. Questioned about it, the man, Kelly, admitted it belonged to another person but that he was in possession of it. He was convicted of the felony illegal use of weapons in 2021, preventing him from legally possessing a firearm.

Kelly was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Chase Burgess and Stephen Folk-Cruthirds. He was defended by Keith Whiddon and Sean Fore. 

The case was docket No. 405287.

Our Grand Jury returned nine indictments in its session that concluded on October 15, 2026.

Four of the indictments were in connection with separate homicides and related crimes, while five were for crimes of a sexual nature or in connection with offenses against juveniles, and thus are being issued under seal.

The homicide indictments were against:

* Thomas Frank Lemons, 24, of Shreveport, in connection with the second-degree murders of I'munique Williams and Chuckie Brooks on July 16, 2026. Ms. Williams, 22, was shot and killed during a domestic dispute that turned into a high-speed chase and shootings on a major city highway. Mr. Brooks, 57, died as a result of injuries suffered in an accident occasioned by that chase. Lemons also is charged with seven separate counts of attempted second-degree murder in connection injuries and wounds suffered by seven separate individuals in the course of actions during that chase and shootings. That indictment is No. 418767.

Lemons also was indicted for aggravated criminal property damage with regard to operation of a 2020 Dodge Ram Truck during the criminal spree. 

* Kobe Latez Starks, 20, of Shreveport, in connection with the August 1, 2026, second-degree murder of his older sibling, Byron Starks, 23. That indictment is No. 419254.

* Jamarcus Harris, 18, of Shreveport, in connection with the June 24, 2026 slaying of Chemarcus Griffin. Griffin, 24, was shot numerous time during an altercation in the 4000 block of Union Avenue. That indictment is No. 418641.

The indictments issued under seal, with no further information available, are against:

* Antwan Cato, 46, of Shreveport, for aggravated rape, indecent behavior with juveniles under the age of 13, and two counts each for sexual battery against a victim under age 13 and indecent behavior with juveniles.

* Michael Davis, 49, of Keithville, for three counts of first-degree rape and molestation of a juvenile.

* Walter Evans, 67, of Shreveport, first-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile and sexual battery.

* Mack Cain, 63, of Shreveport, for trafficking of children for sexual purposes, felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, and 13 counts of indecent behavior with juveniles. 

* Lori Jernigan, 54, of Shreveport, failure to report the commission of certain felonies.

All of the people indicted are in custody at Caddo Correctional Center.

Finally, our office is again conducting its annual Purple Box Project to provide essential supplies and comfort to survivors of domestic violence and their families.

The project, now in its sixth year, invites individuals, businesses, churches, and community organizations to fill boxes or bins with everyday necessities to make differences for families facing difficult circumstances.

Suggested donations include personal hygiene products, socks, underwear, diapers, baby wipes and other basic necessities. Participants may use a purple box, decorate a box or simply use any available box or bin. Decoration is optional.

Donated items will be distributed to domestic violence survivors and their families through community partners, including Providence House, Project Celebration, and the Northwest Louisiana Family Justice Center.

The Purple Box Project ends November 16, 2026.

Filled boxes and donated items may be delivered to the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s office at 525 Marshall St., Shreveport, Louisiana, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. The DA’s office also will pick up boxes as needed.

For more information or to arrange a pickup, contact Britney A. Green at (318) 588-0084.

Hope you had a great Halloween weekend.   I am keeping you Dallas Cowboy fans in my thoughts and prayers.

At your service,

James E. Stewart, Sr.

Caddo Parish District Attorney