A Shreveport man convicted last week of sexual attacks on two local children was hit with maximum prison terms for his acts Wednesday, November 14, 2018, by Caddo District Judge Katherine Dorroh.
Robert Ladell, 29, was sentenced to life in prison at hard labor without possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence for aggravated rape and to 20 years for simple rape, with the sentences to run consecutively.
One of Ladell’s victims and her family attended the sentencing. The child provided a victim impact statement outlining the devastation caused by her attacker’s acts. The statement was filed into the trial record.
Judge Dorroh provided a detailed rationale for handing down the sentences, noting the severity of the crimes, that the sexual attacks began when the children were 9 and 10 years of age, that the attacks lasted a number of years, the attacker’s likelihood of reoffending and the emotional damage his acts caused the children. Judge Dorroh also noted that she considered the victim’s impact statement.
Ladell was convicted Wednesday, November 7, 2018, of the aggravated rape of one child between February 24, 2009, and February 23, 2013, attacks that began when the victim was 9 years old. He also was convicted of simple rape of a second girl between December 2013 and March 2015, attacks that began when the victim was 10 years old. Ladell raped the victims anally, orally and vaginally.
Police began investigating after one child victim cried out to her parents. While the first case was pending, police received an additional complaint regarding the second child and Ladell. During a police interview, Ladell admitted to inappropriate conduct with one of the victims.
The Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office’s Special Victims Unit handled the prosecution of this case. The unit is comprised of prosecutors and investigators specially trained to handle cases involving sexual assaults and domestic violence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Ron Christopher Stamps and Britney A. Green. Ladell was defended by Frank Brown.