July 2023

 

As the school year is set to begin next week, I would like to begin this month’s Desk of the DA with positive news about some of the outstanding youth of our community.

 

On July 21, our office graduated its inaugural class of middle school students in its Summer Youth Leadership Academy. The graduation ceremony was in the basement jury room for Caddo District Judge John Mosely Jr.’s courtroom in the Caddo Parish Courthouse. The academy, a partnership with Community Renewal Friendship House, hosted the week-long event, encouraging students to dream and fulfill a productive future. Students also learned leadership skills, the inner workings of the judicial system and were enriched through art and culture.

 

The goal of the academy is to encourage children to dream and take control of their destiny and become knowledgeable of the court system. The judicial system can be intimidating, and most people only see one side of the system, the side where someone’s having to be defended. More important, my desire is to inspire young people in our community to continue to make good decisions.

 

“We are showing the children positive images, and letting them know they too can achieve and become the doctor, the lawyer, and even the judge,” says Assistant District Attorney Britney Green, the academy’s headmaster. “We want our children to know they are the captains of their own destiny.”

 

The graduates were Payton Barfield, Kennedy Allen, Kassidi Lampkin, E.J. Robertson, Bria Rascoe, Shelbyanna O’Neal, Jade Sherman, Daisha Harrison, Kierstyn Yancy, ShaTimolyn Griffin, Skylah O’Neal and Tyraveion Cooper.

 

Individual awards also were presented: Art Appreciation to Jade Sherman; Best Opening Statement, Prosecution, to Kierstyn Yancy; Best Opening Statement, Defense, to Daisha Harrison; and Rapid Learner, ShaTimolyn Griffin.

 

Each day, camp leaders presented a “Spirit of Excellence Award” to the scholar or scholars who demonstrated the most commitment each day.

 

A gift basket for each graduate capped the graduation.

 

Also in the ceremony were three students serving summer internships, learning the ins and outs of law from the point of view of prosecutors and the operations of our office.

 

Participating this year are Kalaiah Richardson, Tyhlar Holliway and Ishmael Swiney.

 

Ms. Holliway, 18, is a 2023 graduate of Captain Shreve High and plans to attend the Louisiana State University Ogden Honors College, having been awarded the prestigious Stamps Scholarship. She plans to double-major in English and Political Science, in a pre-law track. She aspires to be a Civil Rights attorney and (high hopes) a Supreme Court Justice. She is the daughter of Sheena Campbell and Antonio Holliway. This is her second year as an intern here.

 

Ms. Richardson, 17, attends Huntington High and plans to matriculate at Southern University in Baton Rouge. She plans to pursue a dance career, operate a dance studio and pursue that art as a business. She is the daughter of Veronica Blaze and Larry Richardson.

 

Swiney, 15, attends Captain Shreve High School, and plans some day to attend the Harvard University Law School. He is the son of Tonia Swiney.

 

Please see the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s office Facebook page for pictures of these outstanding young people.

 

————————

 

The Grand Jury of Caddo Parish returned four true bills in its session that ended July 19.

 

Two indictments against one man centered on events surrounding an April homicide, while the other two charged three men in connection with two separate first-degree rapes.

 

In the first two indictments, Edduin Silva, 19, of Shreveport, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the April 25 slaying of Amaya Jacobs. Ms. Jacobs, 35, was found deceased with multiple gunshot wounds in her vehicle in the middle of the road near the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Morningside Drive in the Werner Park neighborhood. She was the victim of an apparent attempted carjacking. That indictment is docket No. 395241.

 

In the second indictment, Silva was charged with resisting a police officer with force or violence, in connection with his apprehension on the murder charge, docket No. 396462.

 

Silva’s indictment was returned with two aliases, Edduin Alvarez and Edduin Silvas.

 

The two first-degree rape indictments were returns under seal, due to the nature of the charges, with few details available.

 

In one indictment, Claude Capers, 26, of Shreveport, was named, while the fourth indictment charged two men, Tyrone Pickrom, 47, and Demarquis Davis, 34, both of Shreveport.

 

* A Caddo Parish jury found a Shreveport man guilty of negligent homicide the slaying of Jacoby Ware in late 2020.

 

The seven-woman, five-man jury in District Judge Chris Victory’s court deliberated three hours before finding  Devoris Antonio Hardy, 23, on July 28 of negligent homicide in the slaying of Ware, 24, on December 6, 2020.  Hardy was charged by my office with second-degree murder, but the jury returned its verdict on the lesser included charge, in legal terms what is called a “responsive verdict.”

 

The jury learned that on December 6, 2020, victim  Ware arrived with a passenger at the Tobacco Shop on the corner of Pines Road and West 70th Street. At the same time, Hardy walked across Pines Road to the Tobacco Shop. Ware’s passenger exited the car as Hardy approached the driver’s side. Hardy reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun, which he used to shoot Ware at point-blank range. The passenger returned fire, wounding Hardy in a hand and his hip. Hardy then fled to a nearby business, where he was apprehended. A post-Miranda statement from Hardy was contradicted by Tobacco Shop surveillance video.

 

Hardy will return to Judge Victory’s court August 14 for sentencing on this verdict , and for further proceedings on a separate unrelated charge of illegal use of weapons for events that occurred March 14, 2022 while Hardy was out on bond for the second degree murder charge.   Judge Victory had set Hardy’s bond for the second degree murder charge at $250,000.    After the illegal use of weapons arrest, our office filed  a motion to revoke Hardy’s bond, which was granted by Judge Victory, and Hardy was remanded back to jail for trial.   He also faces subsequent charges from the United States Attorney’s office in federal court for transfer of a firearm while under a bill of Indictment.

 

Hardy was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith  and Victoria Washington. He was defended by David Shepherd and Daniel Faris.

 

The case was docket No. 380086.

 

* A man charged with the battery of an elderly woman pleaded guilty to the charge July 24 in Caddo District Court.

 

Eric Holden Jr., 22, pleaded guilty to the attack that occurred August 31, 2022.

 

Holden pleaded guilty before District Judge Chris Victory to the charge of aggravated second-degree battery and was sentenced to six years at hard labor with a permanent protective order in favor of the victim.

 

Early that August day, officers were dispatched to South Land Avenue in Oil City on reports that an elderly woman was bleeding from her head. On arrival, officers found the 72-year-old victim sitting on her front porch with a head injury, while a man later identified as Holden stood on the porch yelling at her. The victim informed officers that Holden grew angry with her after she requested he take off her tennis shoes and threw a cell phone at her head, causing her injuries. Holden provided inconsistent explanations regarding the victim’s injuries and was arrested.

 

Holden was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Terry Pittman Jr. He was defended by Michael Enright.

 

The case was docket No. 391102.

 

* A Shreveport man pleaded guilty to felony gun charges July 24 in Caddo District Court.

 

Jamario James, 41, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon by a convicted felon before District Judge Erin Leigh Waddell Garrett, just before his trial was to have begun. He was sentenced to ten years at hard labor, to be served without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. He also was ordered to pay a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000. The court ordered James to serve 300 days in lieu of the fine, concurrent with the hard labor sentence.

 

James admitted that on September 21, 2021, he drove repeatedly around and on the property of the Royal Inn at 1906 North Market St., despite being told four times that he was not allowed on the property. Inn employees told the responding Shreveport police officer that James had flashed a gun several times, and threatened passersby.

 

As the officer spoke with an employee, James drove by again, and shortly after the officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. James consented to a vehicle search, and the officer recovered approximately 1.7 ounces of methamphetamine and a Smith & Wesson handgun from the back seat.

 

James was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ross Owen. He was defended by John Evans.

 

The case was docket No. 385287.

 

* A Shreveport man was found guilty in Caddo District Court July 14 of armed robbery and a shooting at a popular local restaurant.

 

The eight-woman, four-man jury in District Judge Ramona Emanuel’s court deliberated less than an hour before finding Devonta Davis, 23, guilty as charged of the armed robbery and guilty of attempted manslaughter.

 

Jurors learned that on July 29, 2017, Davis and an accomplice waited outside the back of El Compadre Mexican restaurant to commit a robbery. When their victim exited the eatery, they approached her at gunpoint and demanded her purse.

 

The woman’s son rushed to her defense and was shot twice in the chest, suffering life-threatening wounds. He spent months in rehabilitation and underwent several surgeries, but survived.

 

Davis and his accomplice left the scene on bicycles and eventually abandoned them in a field along the ditch line in the neighborhood surrounding the restaurant. Officers recovered the victim’s purse, wallet and cell phone in one of the fields. Nearby, officers recovered articles of Davis’ bloody clothing. The physical evidence, as well as witness testimony and a statement from the co-defendant, who pleaded guilty in a separate trial as a principal to the armed robbery, proved Davis’s guilt to the satisfaction of the jury.

 

Davis will return to face Judge Emanuel for sentencing August 28. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the attempted manslaughter conviction, and faces up to 99 years for the armed robbery.

 

Assistant District Attorneys Brittany Arvie and William “Bill” Edwards prosecuted. Davis was defended by Katherine Ferguson, Royal Alexander and Evan McMichael.

 

The case was docket No. 370411.

 

* A Shreveport man who shot and killed a standout local high school football player was convicted of the slaying July 13 in Caddo District Court.

 

It took the 10-woman, two-man jury in District Judge Katherine Dorroh’s court 90 minutes to find Kolby Moore, 24, guilty of second-degree murder in the slaying of 17-year-old Minnion Jackson.

 

Jackson was slain by a hail of gunfire as he drove on Interstate 220 on August 26, 2020. Jackson at the time was a student at Green Oaks High School and was coming from football practice after dropping off several teammates.

 

Witnesses saw the car used in the shooting speed off to Bossier City and exit onto Benton Road. Police were able to obtain a license plate number from a camera and traced the vehicle to a rental agency, where an employee had a romantic relationship with Moore. Using OnStar, officers tracked the vehicle to the 8200 block of Pines Road, within walking distance of Moore grandfather’s house. Officers contacted Moore there and secured a warrant to search his cell phone, which aided in tying Moore to the shooting on I-220.

 

When Moore returns to Judge Dorroh’s court for sentencing August 16, he faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

 

Moore was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kodie K. Smith and Chris Bowman. He was defended by John Fuller and Devin Jones.

 

Special thanks to Sheriff Julian Whittington and the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s office for their work in helping solve this sad case of  a promising life cut short too soon.

 

The case was docket No. 389143.

 

* A Shreveport man charged with vehicular homicide and possession with intent to distribute marijuana pleaded guilty to the more serious homicide charge in Caddo District Court.

 

Dontavius R. Alexander, 26, pleaded guilty before District Judge Chris Victory July 13 for his driving that led to the death of 32-year-old Steve Johnson on November 9, 2021.

 

On that date, Alexander drove north in the southbound lanes of Mansfield Road, running head-on into Johnson’s vehicle. Witnesses reported that Alexander crossed lanes at speeds exceeding 90 mph, leading to the collision. Multiple witnesses attempted to correct Alexander by flashing their lights, using emergency lights and reporting him to law enforcement. Marijuana was recovered in Alexander’s vehicle and his blood-alcohol level was .22.

 

Judge Victory sentenced Alexander to 15 years in prison at hard labor. Due to his blood-alcohol level, Alexander’s offense was designated as a crime of violence, with at least five years of his sentence to be served without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

 

Alexander was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Victoria Washington. He was defended by Gregory Johnson.

 

The case was docket No. 386206.

 

* A local man convicted in late June of rape was sentenced in Caddo District Court July 12 to serve 35 years in prison.

 

District Judge John D. Mosely Jr. handed down the sentence to Treydarrius Wright, 28, in connection with the July 2021 drugging and rape of a woman Wright had met shopping at a local mall. Wright, convicted June 29 of the second-degree rape, must serve the sentence without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. He also must register as a sex offender for life upon release.

 

Wright met his victim while shopping in Pierre Bossier Mall. He asked her out on a date and went to her house that afternoon to take her out. He took his victim to Party Central in Bossier City, then to a biker club on Greenwood Road in Shreveport. They then left to visit a liquor store, where he purchased a bottle of Patron tequila. They then proceeded to Wright’s brother’s house in Sunset Acres, where he persuaded his victim to drink some of the liquor. Witnesses reported he ground up a pill and later commented that he had drugged her. When his victim became dizzy and started to stumble, they returned to the biker club. When the woman became incapacitated and inebriated, he offered to take her home, but took several hours to do so.

 

At trial, the victim testified she could not remember what occurred after she drank the drugged shot and did not regain consciousness until the following morning. On July 31, 2021, she reported to police she suspected she was sexually assaulted. DNA and blood samples then were taken during a sexual assault examination. Analysis by the North Louisiana Crime Lab showed an overwhelming match for Wright’s DNA and the presence of the designer drug Clonazolam, also known as clonitrazolam, in the victim’s bloodstream.

 

Wright was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Cheyenne Wilson and Courtney Ray. He was defended by Casey Simpson and Madison Crusan.

 

The case was docket No. 386656.

 

The month ended with my decision to transfers two juvenile defendants to adult court to face their charges.  17-year-old Quinterrion Geiggar is charged with armed robbery and was transferred from juvenile court to adult court for the  July 18, 2023 armed robbery of a Pizza Hut delivery person, whom Geiggar  allegedly stuck a gun in the neck  of and robbed after delivering a pizza ordered by Geiggar to Geiggar’s own address.   And 16 year old Kamron Crew is charged with two counts of attempted second degree murder  for a July 21, 2023 shooting at the gas station at the intersection of Stoner and Creswell, where two individuals were shot by Crews.  Caddo Parish District Court Judge Donald Hathaway Jr. ordered both defendants transferred from juvenile detention to Caddo Correctional Center pending trial.

 

————————–

 

This is a small snapshot of some of the work of my staff.   I thank them all, our law enforcement partners, witnesses, our Caddo judges and jurors for their work in bringing justice to both victims and our community, and for doing their part in holding these criminals accountable for their crimes.

 

August is now with us. Please observe, notice , and abide by school zone speed limits.  And if you have or know of a child or family struggling with issues, please go by The Harbor at 3004 Knight St., Bldg. 6 or check out the Volunteers for Youth Justice Facebook page for more information.

 

At your service,

 

James E. Stewart, Sr.

Caddo Parish District Attorney