Plea deal, another delay in trial of man accused of 2018 killing of New Orleans couple
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) –– The trial of Kenneth Augustine, the man accused of fatally shooting Gregory Heisser III and his fiancée, Darnisha Desilva in 2018, has been delayed once again.
Originally scheduled to begin last week, the trial was postponed after Augustine’s defense attorneys requested additional time to prepare. They asked for a new date in early June, but Judge Benedict Willard granted only a one-week delay.
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Jury selection was set to start on Monday. However, when the court summoned the jury pool, no more available jurors were available for the day.
“There’s a limited amount of jurors who are called every day. At this point, there are other sections of court, with my understanding, where jurors were called, and they just didn’t have enough,” said Attorney for Kenneth Augustine Scott Sherman.
Augustine’s mother, Barbara, and sister, Michelle, were also in court. Both faced charges of accessory to second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. They accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to the obstruction charges in exchange for their testimony against Augustine.
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“While she certainly not happy about that, she has to do what’s best for herself and her own family, her own children, which is to exculpate herself,” said the attorney for Michelle Augustine Michael Kennedy.
Despite the delay, Heisser’s mother, Lurline LaBeaud Duncan, said, “I am very confident that we’re going to get our justice this week.”
Jury selection is set to begin on Tuesday.
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