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June 26, 2018
A Houma man has been sentenced to the death penalty after being convicted of killing three in 2012.
It is the first time a suspect has been sentenced to die in Lafourche in more than 40 years.
David Brown broke into the home of Jacquelin Nieves on the night of Nov. 4, 2012. He stabbed and killed the 29-year-old mother, as well as her two daughters, 7-year-old Gabriela and 1-year-old Izabela.
Brown sexually assaulted the mother and older child, before lighting the apartment on fire and fleeing the scene.
Authorities were alerted the next day when they found the bodies, developed Brown as a suspect and took him into custody.
After several legal delays, Brown was convicted of the crimes in 2016 – almost four years to the day that he committed the crimes.
At sentencing, the jury recommended the death penalty – a ruling which Judge John LeBlanc upheld this past week at a formal sentencing hearing and District Attorney Kristine Russell said that though she supports the ruling, she knows that it will not ease the pain felt by the family of the victims. She thanked her legal team for their hard work and effort throughout the case.
“Unfortunately, we can never give the family closure,” Russell told a gaggle of reporters outside of the courtroom after the decision was made. “We can’t help them heal. I hope today gives them the feeling of justice because that’s what our job is – it’s to attempt to get justice. But today is a solemn day.”
Brown’s legal team will appeal the case to a higher court – the Louisiana Supreme Court. Throughout the process, the defense has worked to delay sentencing, trying to request for a new trial.
While that process plays out, Brown will be incarcerated at Angola State Penitentiary where he will be one of more about 75 other inmates in the state system who are currently on death row. •
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