The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 27

Obituaries, D-3 Classified, D-5 Atattfoia Baila Zom "Sir Friday December 30, 1994 Heinous murder cases settled in conirt '94 cases involved Cheneyville slashings, Robeline slayings, LSU student's killing name for Roy, who slashed the throats of Five Cheneyville residents in an attempt to eliminate witnesses. It didn't work. Roy killed two of the victims, but the other three lived to testify at his trial and to show to the jury the 3- to 4-inch scars across their neck left by the knife. At least those victims knew the assailant, unlike Amanda Allbritton of Robeline, who escaped by running for her life through a pasture after two teenagers from Shreveport shot her mother and brother. Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Mike Henry, who successfully prosecuted both teenagers, later said one of the most striking things about the case was the total absence of any link between the Allbritton family and the killers.

Much the same could be said of By Steve Bannister Staff reporter A number of murder cases involving central Louisiana residents came to trial in 1994, but three stand out from the rest. Two involved multiple murders in rural communities, while the third involved the murder of a freshman Louisiana State University student from Pineville. The main defendants in all three cases were convicted of murder in 1994, and two of them have been sentenced to death. What is striking about the three cases is the viciousness of the crimes. There's probably no such thing as a murder that is not in some sense vicious, but few murderers past or present were as coldblooded towards his victims as Larry Roy, who became known as the "Cheneyville Slasher." It was a well-deserved nick Pineville, who as an LSU freshman was in the wrong place at the wrong time when spotted by a group of thugs intent on carjacking.

Vehicle theft in this case a pickup truck may also have been the motive when two 15-year-old runaways from Shreveport approached the Allbritton home in Robeline in August 1993. When Jason Pilcher and Brandy Wiley drove away in the Allbritton's pickup truck, two of the Allbrittons were dead and Amanda Allbritton survived only by outrunning Pilcher, who fired a number of shots at her. Her mother, 33-year-old Phyllis Allbritton, and her brother, 11-year-old Justin Allbritton, were not so lucky. Pilcher shot Mrs. Allbritton at the front door.

He then shot Justin Allbritton as the boy attempted to defend himself in his bedroom with a pellet rifle 1 if Associated Press Dale Dwayne Craig is shown being led to court on Oct. 4 in 18-year-old Kipp Gullett of given to him by his father, Nathan Allbritton. The teen-agers ditched the truck near Lena and were captured several miles away the next morning while sleeping in a pasture. Because of extensive publicity and community outrage about the case, the trials of Pilcher and Miss Wiley were held outside Natchitoches Parish. Pilcher's trial was held last spring in Columbia, while Miss Wiley's trial was held in October in Lake Charles.

Taken together, the two trials are thought to be the most expensive in Natchitoches Parish history. Pilcher's attorneys argued he is mentally ill and was temporarily insane when he killed the Allbrittons, but the jury didn't buy it and convicted him on two counts of second-degree murder. Pilcher is serving two sentences of life imprisonment handed down by 10th Judicial District Judge John Whitaker. Miss Wiley testified against Pilcher and blamed him for everything that happened. She did the same thing in her own trial, maintaining Pilcher was supposed to telephone his older brother to come get them.

Instead, according to Miss Wiley's testimony, Pilcher pulled out a revolver he had hidden in his shorts and proceeded to kill the victims while she stood on the front porch in shock. Miss Wiley, however, had problems explaining why she had a stolen revolver hidden in her shorts when she walked up to the Allbritton home with Pilcher. She didn't appear to have much more success in convincing the jury she stayed with Pilcher after the murders because she was afraid he would hurt her if she tried to leave. The jury didn't buy Miss Wiley's claims of innocence but Baton Rouge tor his tirst-deqree murder trial in the I vv slayini of Kipp Gullett, an LSU student from Pineville. Craig was foun New year will see bank bribe case go to trial, musical chairs for judges guilty and was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Mijalis Friedman ized is that Mrs. Richard's ex-husband, Freddie Richard Jr. 33, was staying over that night so he could take their children to an out-of-town doctor the next morning. As testimony at Roy's August trial showed, when Roy broke into Mrs. Richard's bedroom he was confronted by her husband.

During the fight Roy stabbed Freddie Richard several times, then cut across the back of Richard's throat while he was dying to make the death more painful. Roy then bound the hands of Mrs. Richard and her two sons, ages 11 and 9, with telephone cord and slashed their throats. He left them to die in the living room while he went into a different room to kill 75-year-old Rosetta Silas, Mrs. Richard's Please see MURDER, D-2 did conclude she was less responsible for the deaths than Pilcher, finding her guilty of manslaughter instead of murder.

In December, Miss Wiley was sentenced to 50 years in prison by Whitaker, who was not impressed with what he called Miss Wiley's self-serving claims of innocence. Sally Ann Richard and her family knew who the murderer was, which is why Larry Roy cut their throats after breaking into Mrs. Richard's Cheneyville home in May 1993. Mrs. Richard, who is divorced, had dated Roy for a short time but had broken up with him a couple months before the murders.

Roy timed his burglary to come just after Mrs. Richard had received her monthly Social Security disability check. What Roy may not have real American Insurance Co. was solvent. The insurance company failed in 1988, costing taxpayers about $20 million in Louisiana and $10 million in Georgia.

At the Rapides Parish Courthouse, the civil and criminal courtrooms will not change for 1995, but the faces of the judges in those courtrooms will. That's because most of the judges have swapped seats. The three 9th Judicial District judges who have heard criminal cases for the past two years Alfred Mansour, Dexter Ryland and Ross Foote will now hear civil cases. They will be replaced on the criminal bench by what has been jokingly referred to as the "minority bench" because it Please see BANK, D-2 By Steve Bannister Staff reporter What is likely to be the biggest criminal trial in central Louisiana in 1995 comes barely after the arrival of the new year. On Jan.

9, the trial of Gus Mijalis and Natchitoches Parish businessman Sam Friedman starts in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. The two men are accused of brokering a fraudulent $3.5 million loan from Friedman's Natchitoches bank that let an insolvent insurance company continue doing business in Louisiana. Judge F.A. Little Jr.

has set aside two weeks for the trial. Friedman, whose request to be tried separately from Mijalis was denied, is facing two charges: conspiracy to commit bank bribery and accepting a bribe as a bank director. Mijalis, a Shreveport businessman and longtime confidant of Gov. Edwin Edwards, is facing 11 charges. Those are conspiracy, bribery and nine counts of mail fraud.

Mijalis and Friedman are accused of arranging a temporary loan that fooled insurance regulators into thinking Anglo- District Court Jury Trials 5-year comparison District Court Cases Total cases filed In district court Including civil, criminal and traffic. COURTS 19 94 1993 1989 1990 1991 1992 COURT CASES 1993 4,757, 5,076 3,303 3,327 3,674 4,179 3,462 10,439 19,126 17,243 4,141 1992 3,383 4,897 1 2,856 2,355 3,152 3,751 2,418 10,136 17,653 14,722 3,751 1991 3,578 6,207 2,794 5,015 3,421 3,839 2,435 9,062 21,278 14,553 4,544 1989 1990 Allen 3,040 3,184 Avoyelles 4,350 4,202 Catahoula 2,742 3,034 Concordia 5,226 4,105 I Evangeline 3,437 2,860 Grant 3,593 3,808 LaSalle 2.101 3'372 Natchitoches 6,856 7,271 Rapides 19,568 21,122 Vernon 11,641 11,956 Winn 1,960 2,162 Allen 7H 2fl Onin Avoyelles 6 1 1 6 I 4 tl Catahoula 3 3 1 r4 6j Concordia I Evangeline 6 jj 7j iTjl; Grant 0 jt' 3l il CD ll4 LaSalle 2 1 0 I 2I I sV 2 fcj Natchitoches llf J2J 8 ttTi Rapides 37 tfjlTir HoEl 29 EfE! Vernon 4j lk-H i1iK1oll 3jTyTjTaTa Larry Roy, the "Cheneyville Slasher," was sentenced to death in July 1994 after being convicted on two counts ot first-degree murder. In May 1993, Roy slashed the throats of five people, killing two of them, after breaking into a Cheneyville home 60-1 Dale Dwayne Craig, the triggerman in the September 1 992 murder of Kipp Gullett of Pineville, was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder by a Baton Rouge jury in October. Craig was the leader of a group of four men who kidnapped Gullett, an LSU freshman, 1994 figures not yet available 1994 figures not yet available Civil cases uny Roy to steal his truck. Negotiations are ongoing tor the other tnree men.

Two teen-agers who killed a Brouillette woman in February decided not to risk possible death sentences, with both pleading guilty to second-degree murder last summer. Christie Cheramie, 16, of Marrero and Gene Mayeaux 18, of Marksville each received the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Donald Cousan was sentenced to death in February after being convicted of first-degree murder in the 1992 slaying of Winnfield Police Officer Narvin Powell. Powell was shot while attempting to arrest Cousan for burglary. Willard Allen risked everything in an October trial and lost, with the jury sentencing him to death after convicting him of first-degree murder.

Allen had refused to plead guilty to murder with a life sentence, even though he had confessed to killing Campti bar owner Herman J. Ferguson in 1993. Former Rapides Parish Police Juror Robert "Bobby" Jordan Jr. was convicted of manslaughter in April for shooting Walter Scott Loyden in 1993. Jordan was sentenced to 15 years in prison but allowed to remain free on bond while he appeals the conviction.

ROBELINE SLAYING CASE 1993 Aug. 13 or 14 Brandy Wiley and Jason Pilcher, both 15-year-olds from Shreveport, meet for the first time after talking on the telephone. Aug. 17, Pilcher and Miss Wiley run away together shortly after midnight, then steal a car, guns, soft drinks and beer the next morning. Their joy ride ends that afternoon when Pilcher wrecks the car in Robeline about 1 12 miles from the Allbritton home.

Aug. 17 Shortly after 6 p.m., the youths appear at the Allbrittons' front door asking for water and a telephone. Pilcher shoots 33-year-old Phyllis Allbritton and her 1 1 -year-old son, Justin Allbritton, then fires several shots at 13-year-old Amanda AiiDnrton, wno escapes untoucnea. The youths steal the Allbrittons' pickup truck and ditch it at dusk near Lena. They are captured the next morning while sleeping in a pasture.

Aug. 27. Both youths plead innocent to first-degree murder charges before 10th Judicial District Judge John Whitaker. Oct 6 Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Mike Henry, after conceding the youths cannot receive the death penalty because of their age, reduces the charges to second-degree murder to make it easier to obtain convictions carrying a life Nathaniel "Nat" Smith, who was found innocent by reason of insanity in the 1980 killing of an Alexandria store clerk, failed to gain his freedom from a state hospital for the criminally insane. Smith was ruled to be both mentally ill and dangerous in December by 9th Judicial District Judge Ross Foote.

John Price, one of two men charged with first-degree murder in the 1993 slaying of Dale DeSelle received a 40-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in June. Price's alleged accomplice, Robert McCartney, has not yet come to trial. Sentence. Jason Pilcher Nov. 18 Whitaker agrees to move Pilcher's trial to Columbia to ensure a fair jury can be picked.

John Price Linda Michel, one of the six former Union Bank employees who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the bank in September, was arrested the next month on multiple charges of theft from the bank. Her trial is set for this coming spring. 1994 in i i mw.ii mi 3 7 Dr. Guido Colantonl, an Alexandria gynecologist, was charged with six counts of sexual battery for allegedly fondling six female patients. Several patients have also filed lawsuits against Colantoni, who is set for trial Feb.

6 on three of the six felony charges. Former Colfax town officials Joe Borland and Charles Clark are to be allowed to return to teaching this year after completing their probations. Borland, the former mayor, and Clark, a former alderman, were among three town officials convicted on felony charges this year involving misuse of public money. Defense attorney Michael Small announces Pilcher will use the insanity defense. Defense attorney Michael Bonnette says Miss Wiley may testify against Pilcher despite Henry's refusal to cut a deal for her testimony.

Miss Wiley later does testify against Pilcher without immunity. After hearing contradictory testimony from doctors on whether Pilcher is mentally ill, the jury deliberates less than 1 12 hours in finding him guilty as charged. Pilcher is sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment wiithout benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Charles Clark Joe Borland March 1 March 15 April 21 May 18 June 13 Aug. 14 I Oct 28 Dec.

21 Rapides Parish Court Cases Cases filed In 1993 In city courts for Alexandria, Pineville and In the 9th Judicial District Court for Rapides Parish. Thomas Silman, convicted on multiple counts of first-degree murder in 1993, saw his convictions overturned in November by an appeals court that concluded he was temporarily insane when he killed four relatives in 1990. Grant Parish District Attorney Edward Total Civil Criminal Traffic Juvenile After a month of negotiating, Henry offers to let Miss Wiley plead guilty to manslaughter with a 25-year sentence and the possibility of parole at age 23. Her mother rejects the offer. Whitaker sets Miss Wiley's trial for Oct.

24 in Lake Charles. Her mother continues rejecting the plea bargain. Miss Wiley is found guilty of two reduced charges of manslaughter. Miss Wiley is sentenced to 50 years in prison. Bonnette says he will appeal both her convictions and sentence.

1.507 5,101 Pineville 451 762 13,079 1,025 924 20,611 516 2,754 389 19,126 Tarpley Jr. is asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to reinstate the convictions. 2,366 11,693 9th Judicial District 4'678 1994 figures not yet available Brandy Wiley Jennifer Daviet Slat) artist.