Raising Cane’s murder, robbery suspect Gregory Donald to stand trial Monday
By Michelle Hunter
The Times-Picayune
Jury selection is expected to begin Monday morning (Jan. 14) in the Jefferson Parish murder trial of Gregory Donald, one of the men accused in a violent Kenner robbery that ended with the fatal stabbing of Raising Cane's manager Taylor Friloux.
Donald, 21, of Kenner, is charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, false imprisonment while armed with a weapon, intimidation of a witness and obstruction of justice in the June 29, 2016, holdup.
He is the first of the four suspects arrested in the case to head to trial. Codefendants Mark Crocklen and Ariana Runner pleaded guilty to their roles in the robbery last year.
The crime’s alleged mastermind, Joshua Every, 26, still awaits trial. Every is charged with first-degree murder and faces the death penalty.
Brutal stabbing
Authorities say Donald and Every ambushed Raising Cane’s employees about 1:15 a.m. as they were taking out the trash behind the business, located at 3344 Williams Boulevard. Every was a former employee who had worked under Friloux. Donald also briefly worked at the location, according to Kenner police.
Armed with a knife and a box cutter, Every and Donald forced Friloux, 21, to open the business’ locked back door. Every stabbed Friloux twice in the chest before they all entered the building, Kenner police said.
Once inside, the robbers had Friloux open the store safe. Donald grabbed a bag of cash and ran out of the business to a parked getaway vehicle, driven by co-defendant Crocklen, authorities said.
Video surveillance cameras recorded Every crouching over Friloux after she collapsed to the ground. He viciously stabbed her in the neck, head and chest, before fleeing the restaurant, Kenner police said.
Friloux suffered knife wounds to her windpipe and liver, as well as a cut that almost severed her ear. The fatal injury was a punctured aorta, according to the Jefferson Parish coroner’s office. Friloux died at University Medical Center in New Orleans.
Detectives immediately identified Every as a suspect in the case because his former coworkers recognized him, authorities said.
Crocklen surrendered to authorities after hearing of Friloux’s death. He confessed to the robbery, telling authorities that murder wasn’t part of the original plan.
A judge sentenced him to a total of 40 years in prison after Crocklen pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, false imprisonment while armed with a weapon, intimidation of a witness and obstruction of justice.
Robbery recruit
Prosecutors sealed the plea agreements for Crocklen and Runner, so there’s no confirmation of whether they are expected to testify against Donald.
But Runner, who pleaded guilty Sept. 7 to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and obstruction of justice, has not yet been sentenced. She admitted connecting Donald with Every, who was looking for a getaway vehicle and another accomplice during the robbery’s month-long planning stage, authorities said.
Every’s first recruit for the crime backed out after the man’s girlfriend demanded a cut of the take to keep her mouth closed, according to Kenner police. Every is accused of having stabbed the girl after she made the demand.
Runner suggested Donald, her coworker at Walmart, 300 West Esplanade Ave., Kenner. Donald supplied the alleged getaway vehicle, a gold Toyota Highlander that belonged to the mother of his then-girlfriend, authorities said.
Detectives used automated license-plate recognition cameras to identify the SUV and tracked the registration to a Kenner home. Donald walked out of the house while police were conducting surveillance, authorities said.
Noting that he fit the description of the second robber, police took Donald into custody. Crocklen identified Donald as one of the co-conspirators, according to court records.
During questioning, Donald confessed to taking part in the robbery, but claimed he was the getaway driver, Kenner police said. He later admitted going into the restaurant when detectives showed him a photo from the store’s video surveillance system, according to authorities.
Judge Lee Faulkner of the 24th Judicial District Court will preside over the trial, which is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
https://www.nola.com/crime/2019/01/r...al-monday.html
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