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Thread: Kenneth James Gleason Conviction Overturned in 2017 LA Murder of Bruce Cofield and Donald Smart

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    Kenneth James Gleason Conviction Overturned in 2017 LA Murder of Bruce Cofield and Donald Smart


    Donald Smart (left) with fellow employees


    Bruce Cofield





    A 'whistle as you work' guy: Co-workers want justice in death of popular Louie's Cafe worker


    By Grace Toohey
    The Advocate

    Donald Smart consistently showed up for his overnight shift as a dishwasher at Louie's Cafe in a spotless white T-shirt and bright white Nike tennis shoes. And somehow, despite filling one of the messier jobs at the restaurant, the 49-year-old kept them that way.

    "It stayed white," said a smiling Fred Simonson, general manager of the restaurant right off LSU's campus. "And this is Louie's Cafe; this is the 24-hour diner at the doorstep of the No. 1 — I don't care what anyone says — party school in the country, this is the night dishwasher. And white shoes, white shirt."

    And it wasn't because Smart stayed out of the way or lacked dedication, it was the opposite: the 20-year veteran dishwasher was just that good at his job, Simonson said.

    "I've seen 26 years of folks washing dishes in a busy diner and this guy is untouchable," Simonson said Saturday. "When you have an employee like Donald, he's the type of person who's going to make the person next to him better."

    Smart was walking to his Thursday night shift, when, just half a mile from the 24-hour diner, he was gunned down in what law enforcement officials called the second apparently random fatal shooting this week.

    Baton Rouge Police detained a person of interest Saturday afternoon
    for questioning about both Smart's killing and a separate homicide Tuesday night when a 59-year-old man was fatally shot on Florida Street, said police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said. However, no arrest had been made late Friday and no details were released about the person in question.

    Baton Rouge Police had called Friday for an “all out hunt” for the perpetrator of both Smart's slaying and the Tuesday night killing of Bruce Cofield, after linking the homicides through a national ballistics database, according to an internal Baton Rouge police bulletin that was disseminated to Louisiana law enforcement. Authorities also connected the two killings for the manner in which they happened: both late at night, 11 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., both targeted pedestrians and in both instances the gunman had exited his vehicle to continue shooting at the victim, the bulletin said.

    "This is a tragedy. ... this is wrong," Simonson said. "This should not have happened."

    Smart had worked five days a week from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., dealing with all the challenges of working a night shift and being a dishwasher in way Simonson called "without peer."

    "The before and after of Donald goes from, 'What are we going to do tonight?' to 'Smooth sailing,'" Simonson said. "You didn't have to motivate Donald, Donald motivated you."

    Simonson said in the wake of the loss, Louie's Cafe closed Friday night to give Smart's coworkers time to grieve — an unprecedented decision for the restaurant, especially during LSU football season.

    "What Donald means to me as a person and Louie's as an institution is not quantifiable," Simonson said, tears welling in his eyes. "It's not measurable. .. Hopefully they can get some justice, some closure."

    Michael White, who's worked in food preparation at the diner for about 10 years, said Smart always went above and beyond at his work.

    "He was the best dishwasher they had," White, 62, said Saturday. "He was reliable... Donald was very well-known, well-respected and very well-liked."

    Smart was married with three children, White said. Two of his cousins also worked at Louie's Cafe, and he came from a big family, Simonson said. Though Simonson said he seldom spent time with Smart outside of work, except for the yearly Christmas party, he said he's sure the man's work ethic and personality crossed over to all aspects of his life.

    One year, Simonson remembered how Smart contributed money to help support the office manager's grandchild, an act that Simonson said showed Smart's character.

    "He loved kids," Simonson said. "Donald touched everyone that worked here."

    Simonson said he also was a "whistle as you work" kind of guy, always making people smile, telling stories.

    "Donald liked to talk," Simonson, laughing. "Donald like to share."

    He said in the last 20 years, whenever Donald was gone — one time he took on short-term painting gig — he was sorely missed by the restaurant and its high-speed flow. And now, he said, Smart's absence feels insurmountable.

    "This isn't just a murder victim, this isn't, like, just some dude," Simonson said. "We're not all perfect but, damn it, if this guy wasn't close. ... I will love that man until they day I die."

    http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rou...34e96e40d.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Police think 2 Louisiana slayings likely racially motivated

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Police believe the slayings of two black men in Baton Rouge were likely racially motivated and said Sunday they have a person of interest — a 23-year-old white man — in custody.

    The person of interest, Kenneth Gleason, was being held on drug charges. Authorities do not yet have enough evidence to charge him with murder, Baton Rouge Sgt. L’Jean McKneely told The Associated Press.

    McNeely said shell casings from the shootings linked the two slayings and a car belonging to Gleason fit the description of the vehicle police were looking for. He said police had collected other circumstantial evidence but he wouldn’t say what it was.

    “There is a strong possibility that it could be racially motivated,” he said.

    The shootings happened about 5 miles from each other. The first occurred Tuesday when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death. The second happened Thursday when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down walking to work at a cafe popular with LSU students, McKneely said.

    It wasn’t immediately clear if Gleason had an attorney or when his first court appearance would be.

    https://apnews.com/17568dfe8ae1494f9...&utm_medium=AP
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    White man arrested in slayings of 2 black men in Louisiana

    By Michael Kunzelman
    The Associated Press

    BATON ROUGE, La. – A 23-year-old white man was arrested Tuesday and accused of cold-bloodedly killing two black men and shooting up a black family's home in a string of attacks last week that police say may have been racially motivated.

    A law enforcement official said authorities found a handwritten copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at Kenneth James Gleason's home, and investigators said surveillance footage and DNA on a shell casing link him to the crimes.

    Authorities said he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work. In each case, the killer opened fire from his car, then walked up to the victim as he lay on the ground and fired again repeatedly, police said.

    "I feel confident that this killer would have killed again," interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

    Gleason's attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client "vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication."

    Authorities found the Hitler speech during a search over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still going on.

    Asked whether police suspect the shootings were motivated by race, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said: "We're not completely closed off to that. We're looking at all possibilities at this time, so we're not going to just pinpoint that."

    District Attorney Hillar Moore said he may seek the death penalty.

    "It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," he said.

    Authorities also said that just after midnight on Sept. 10, Gleason fired into the home of a black family who lived three houses down from Gleason and his parents.

    The homeowner, Tonya Stephens, said her two adult sons were home at the time and she was away at her nurse's job. Three bullets pierced the front door and struck furniture, but no one was hurt.

    Stephens said her family had seen Gleason sleeping in his car or speeding down the street, but she never had any dealings with him and "I never paid him any mind."

    In the other shootings, neither victim had any connection to Gleason, investigators said.

    The first killing occurred Sept. 12, when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was gunned down. The second took place last Thursday night, when 49-year-old Donald Smart was shot on his way to his job at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

    Authorities said ballistics tests determined that the same gun was used in all three shootings. Also, they said DNA found on one of the shell casings matched genetic material on a swab they took from Gleason.

    Investigators have not found the 9 mm gun but said Gleason bought such a weapon last November. He also ordered a silencer in July, but it had not arrived yet — "thankfully," the prosecutor said.

    One of the big breaks in the case came when a security company noticed a white man in a red car removing his license plate and perhaps putting a gun in the trunk while parked at the company's office.

    The company reported the suspicious activity to police and followed up with them after the second shooting, giving authorities surveillance video and photographs. Investigators found Gleason's red car on Saturday.

    Louisiana's capital city is in the grips of a surge in bloodshed. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported this month.

    "Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year," the police chief said. If not for Gleason's arrest, "he could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together."

    Racial tensions escalated in the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside a convenience store. About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three before he was shot to death.

    The city of approximately 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

    Gleason did not appear to have any active social media profiles. A Louisiana State University spokesman said a student by that name attended from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2014 before withdrawing. He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

    Gleason was arrested in Phoenix in December on charges of shoplifting wine and razors. Police said he was homeless at the time. The case was dismissed the following month.

    During the search of Gleason's home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to police.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/19...louisiana.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    New state law could impact Baton Rouge double-slaying case

    BATON ROUGE -- A state law that took effect in 2009 making it easier to subject serial killers to the death penalty could have a profound impact on Kenneth James Gleason, the Baton Rouge man who was booked Tuesday on first-degree murder counts in a pair of unrelated fatal shootings last week.

    East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutors sought the change to the first-degree murder statute after reputed Baton Rouge serial killer Sean Vincent Gillis was convicted in 2008 of first-degree murder. The jury deadlocked on the death penalty, and Gillis was sentenced to life in prison.

    First-degree murder, which is punishable by death in capital cases, requires an aggravating circumstance, such as murdering someone while committing another crime like armed robbery or killing someone under the age of 12.

    Prosecutors complained to state lawmakers after the Gillis trial that serial killers often murder without committing another aggravating crime.

    Senate Bill 132, pushed by East Baton Rouge prosecutors and signed into law in 2009 by then-Gov. Bobby Jindal, added another element that allows the state to seek capital murder charges “when the offender has a specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm and the offender has previously acted with a specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm that resulted in the killing or one or more persons.”

    Authorities say Gillis confessed to killing eight south Louisiana women between 1994 and 2004. He was booked in seven of those deaths.

    “After Gillis we wanted to make sure that multiple killings in a sequential fashion would be an aggravating factor,” East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III, who took office in 2009, said Tuesday.

    Former East Baton Rouge Parish First Assistant District Attorney Prem Burns, who prosecuted Gillis and helped push the change in state law, said Tuesday it was sorely needed so serial killers would not be rewarded for not committing an aggravating crime in addition to each individual murder.

    “We needed a serial killer statute,” she said. “A serial killer in and of itself needs to be a first-degree murder. This was so badly needed. I’m glad we have it.”

    Burns described the change in the law as a “new tool for victims and prosecutors.”

    Moore and Louisiana District Attorneys Association executive director Pete Adams said they are not aware of another case to date of the law being applied. But Moore said his office at this point intends to use it against Gleason, 23, if he is indicted on first-degree murder charges.

    Gleason, who is white, is booked with first-degree murder in the killings of Donald Smart, 49, and Bruce Cofield, 59, both black men. Authorities have said the shootings may have been racially motivated.

    Smart was shot Thursday night while walking on Alaska Street to work his overnight shift at Louie’s Cafe, just off LSU’s campus. Cofield was apparently homeless and frequently panhandled at the intersection where he was shot Sept. 12 on Florida Street.

    In the Gillis case, the aggravating crimes -- armed robbery and second-degree kidnapping -- accused him of taking, among other things, a black belt and earring backing from Donna Bennett Johnston, who was strangled and mutilated in 2004. The belt was found in a broken-down van in Gillis’ driveway, and the earring piece was discovered in the trunk of his car.

    Even though Gillis was found guilty of first-degree murder in Johnston’s slaying, his attorneys had argued that no one in their “right mind would kill somebody to get this belt.” Prosecutor Prem Burns argued Gillis kept the belt with silver loops as a “trophy” and “souvenir.”

    Gillis’ attorneys also argued that Johnston, a prostitute, likely willingly got into Gillis’ car.

    Burns said Tuesday that, even though the jury found Gillis guilty of first-degree murder, the hoops she had to jump through to prove his guilt may have left some on the jury wondering whether the crime was actually a first-degree murder.

    “That was half the battle,” she said of having to prove an aggravating factor.

    Burns said former East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau and the late Cheney Joseph, a former prosecutor and LSU law professor, also were instrumental in securing the change to the first-degree murder statute.

    Jeffery Lee Guillory, another Baton Rouge serial killer accused of committing murders in 1999, 2001 and 2002, was convicted in 2011 of second-degree murder in one of those killings and sentenced to life in prison. He could not be prosecuted for first-degree murder because there were no aggravating circumstances, and because the crimes predated the 2009 law change.

    East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Dana Cummings, who prosecuted Guillory, said he definitely would have been prosecuted for first-degree murder and subjected to a possible death penalty if his crimes had occurred after the 2009 legislation was signed into law.

    Guillory was found guilty in the 2002 strangulation of Renee Newman in Baton Rouge.

    http://www.houmatoday.com/news/20170...e-slaying-case

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    White man indicted on murder charges in black men’s killings

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana grand jury indicted a white man on murder charges Thursday in the shooting deaths of two black men, attacks that police have said may have been racially motivated.

    Kenneth Gleason, 23, is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder in the separate Baton Rouge shootings that killed 49-year-old Donald Smart and 59-year-old Bruce Cofield in September.

    Prosecutors haven’t decided whether to seek the death penalty against Gleason.

    Authorities have said surveillance footage and DNA link Gleason to the crimes. In each case, police said, the killer opened fire from his car, then walked up to the victim as he lay on the ground and fired again repeatedly.

    The first killing occurred Sept. 12, when Cofield, who was homeless, was gunned down on a street corner. The second took place Sept. 14, when Smart was shot on his way to his dishwashing job at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

    Gleason also was indicted on two counts of attempted second-degree murder for allegedly firing gunshots into the home of a black family that lives down the street from his parents’ house. Nobody was injured in that shooting, which occurred just after midnight on Sept. 10.

    Authorities said ballistics tests determined that the same gun was used in all three shootings. They also said DNA found on one of the shell casings matched genetic material on a swab they took from Gleason.

    A law enforcement official told The Associated Press in September that authorities found a handwritten copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at the home Gleason shared with his parents. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...=.1ea2f2856f11

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    Alleged Baton Rouge serial killer pleads not guilty; one victim's family believes 'justice will be served'

    By Grace Toohey
    The Advocate

    Kenneth James Gleason, a white man accused of fatally shooting two black men and firing into the home of a black family in three separate September incidents, pleaded Wednesday morning not guilty to all the charges against him.

    Gleason, 23, was charged by a grand jury Nov. 30 with one count each of second-degree murder and first-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the incidents police have described as possibly racially motivated.

    Gleason appeared in a Parish Prison orange and white striped jumpsuit, with his hands and feet both shackled, for his arraignment Wednesday morning with state Judge Beau Higginbotham. He showed little emotion throughout the morning, often peering wide-eyed around the courtroom while other cases were called.

    The family of 49-year-old Donald Smart, who prosecutors allege was murdered by Gleason, sat in the front two rows of the courtroom. Smart was shot when he was walking on Alaska Street to his job at Louie's Cafe.

    When Gleason announced his not guilty pleas, the family released audible sounds of pain, his sister wiped tears from her eyes.

    "I was hoping and praying he (would) plead guilty so the family wouldn't have to keep coming to court," said Smart's sister, Tiquincia Smart. "But we will be here every court day. ... I truly believe justice will be served."

    She said seeing Gleason in the courtroom was emotional, bringing back the memory of her brother's killing.

    "I have seen him in pictures, but to actually see him in person, just to see the human being that took my brother's life for no apparent reason was scary in a sense, but at the same time, relieved to know he's not on the street to hurt anyone else," Tiquincia Smart said.

    The mother of Donald Smart's three children, Lakisa Flowers, said she will be at every court date.

    "He did not deserve to be killed and shot down like that," Flower said, who is now raising their three children, a 12 and 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old son, alone. "Everyday I just try to be strong for my kids... I try not to show my tears in front of them."

    District Attorney Hillar Moore III said the state continues to investigate the case and prepare for trial. A trial date has not been set.

    The grand jury's indictment on first-degree murder in the slaying of Smart gives prosecutors the opportunity to seek the death penalty, but Moore said they have not yet decided if they will.

    Attorney Chris Alexander is representing Gleason and has denied any guilt on behalf of his client.

    "At this point, we're going to request any and all evidence in the state's possession and review everything closely," Alexander said after Wednesday's hearing. "Our goal is to fully and completely protect Kenneth Gleason, and we intend to do it tenaciously."

    While Donald Smart's family said they know the trial is on the horizon, they said they're facing daily battles in the short term.

    "And now it's the holiday time and it's just not the same," Tiquincia Smart said. "It's really emotional."

    http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rou...ampaign=buffer
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Prosecutors: No decision on death penalty for alleged serial killer

    By Robbie Reynold
    WAFB

    BATON ROUGE, LA - Prosecutors have still not decided whether or not they will pursue the death penalty against accused serial killer, Kenneth Gleason.

    Attorney Dana Cummings says they will speak to the family of one of Gleason’s alleged victims, Donald Smart, before making a decision.

    Gleason faces a first degree murder charge for Smart’s death, which gives prosecutors the option of the death penalty. Gleason also faces a second degree murder charge, and two additional attempted second degree murder charges.

    He appeared at the 19th Judicial District Court before Judge Beau Higginbotham on Monday, March 26 for a motion hearing. The defense asked to push that hearing back, and Cummings agreed to move it to July 11.

    Gleason is suspected in the shooting death of Bruce Cofield, 59, on September 12. Two days later, Smart, 49, was found dead near Louie's Cafe on Alaska Street. He had been shot 10 times.

    Gleason is believed to have been the shooter. Authorities have said they believe the victims were possibly targeted because they were black.

    http://www.wafb.com/story/37810642/p...-serial-killer

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Kenneth Gleason won't face death penalty in September slayings in Baton Rouge

    BY JOE GYAN, JR.
    The Advocate

    A 24-year-old Baton Rouge man accused in the apparently random killing of two black men in separate September shootings just two days apart won't face the death penalty if convicted, a prosecutor announced Wednesday.

    Kenneth Gleason, who is white, is charged with second-degree murder in the Sept. 12 slaying of 59-year-old Bruce Cofield and first-degree murder in the Sept. 14 killing of 49-year-old Donald Smart.

    Louisiana law allows for a first-degree murder charge when there are multiple slayings. Prosecutor Dana Cummings told state District Judge Beau Higginbotham she consulted with Smart's family and that it agreed with the decision to not seek the death penalty.

    Gleason also is charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder that accuse him of firing a gun that same week into the home of the only black family on the block where he lived on Sandy Ridge Drive. Two people were in the house at the time but weren't injured.

    Cofield was fatally shot on the side of Florida Street; Smart was shot to death as he walked on Alaska Street to his job at Louie's Cafe.

    Police have described the nighttime shootings as random and possibly racially motivated. Gleason shot both men from inside his car, then got out and continued to fire while standing over them, authorities have said.

    A trial date was set for March 11.

    https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...ed3ebdb9e.html
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    In Kenneth Gleason murder case, other alleged racially-charged shootings could be used as evidence

    BY JOE GYAN JR.
    The Advocate

    When Kenneth Gleason stands trial March 11 in the fatal 2017 shooting of a black man in Baton Rouge, prosecutors want jurors to hear that he allegedly shot another black man to death two days earlier and also fired into the home of a black family that lived two houses from Gleason.

    Gleason, 24, is charged in both killings and the non-fatal shooting that occurred in a four-day span in September 2017, but will be tried first in the second of the fatal shootings.

    Gleason was in court Friday for a hearing to determine the admissibility of the so-called "other crimes" evidence, but a state judge pushed the proceeding back to Wednesday to give the defense more time to prepare.

    Gleason, who is white, is charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of Bruce Cofield, 59, on Sept. 12, 2017, and first-degree murder in the killing of Donald Smart, 49, on Sept. 14, 2017.

    Police have described the nighttime shootings as random and possibly racially motivated.

    Prosecutors are trying Gleason first in the killing of Smart. They aren't seeking the death penalty.

    The non-fatal shooting incident on Gleason's street, Sandy Ridge Drive, occurred on Sept. 11, 2017. Two brothers were in the house at the time but weren't injured.

    Gleason, of Baton Rouge, is charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder in that shooting.

    He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges filed against him.

    A witness observed Gleason outside the Sandy Ridge home immediately after the shooting, according to an "other crimes" motion filed by prosecutor Dana Cummings.

    The day before the first fatal shooting, the motion says, an employee of a Jiffy Lube on Coursey Boulevard reported to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office that a suspicious white male in a red vehicle "removed a handgun from the flower bed in front of the business." The worker later identified the man as Gleason.

    On Sept. 12, 2017, a local surveillance company, Custom Security, alerted law enforcement that a white male was seen parking a small red car in a parking lot, removing the license plate and placing duct tape over identifying markings on the car, the motion states.

    Cofield was killed that night.

    Three shell casings were found on a walkway "a few feet" from the Sandy Ridge shooting scene, 13 casings were discovered at the scene of the Cofield shooting and 10 casings were located at the Smart crime scene, the motion says.

    A State Police Crime Lab firearm examiner determined that all of the shell casings were fired from the same gun "and were consistent with being fired from the same type of weapon that the defendant purchased in November of 2016," Cummings wrote.

    Different kinds of ammunition were used in each shooting, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III has said, but the bullets were fired from the same 9 mm gun. That gun has not been found.

    Cummings also stated that a DNA profile obtained from the casings at the Cofield crime scene matched Gleason's DNA profile.

    Gleason allegedly shot Cofield and Smart from inside his car, then got out and fired more shots while standing over them, authorities have said.

    Cofield was killed on the corner of South Acadian Thruway and Florida Street. Witness statements and video surveillance indicated the shooter was driving a small red car, according to the motion.

    Witnesses told detectives the suspect "began shooting the victim from the strip mall parking lot, at which point the victim fell to the ground and rolled into the street where the shooter stood over him and fire more shots into his body," Cummings says in her motion.

    Smart was shot to death as he walked by the Alaska Street BREC Park to his overnight shift at Louie's Cafe.

    A witness told investigators he saw a white man driving a small red vehicle "shoot the victim in the driveway area of the parking lot, and then stand over the victim firing additional shots into him after he was down," Cummings wrote.

    State District Judge Beau Higginbotham is presiding over Gleason's case.

    https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...187c749be.html
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

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    Alleged Baton Rouge serial killer Kenneth Gleason ruled sane during shootings; trial date set

    Suspected Baton Rouge serial killer Kenneth Gleason was sane when he allegedly shot two Black men to death and fired into the home of a Black family in three separate September 2017 incidents, a judge ruled Thursday.

    Gleason, who is White, also is competent to stand trial, state District Judge Beau Higginbotham determined, based on the reports of two doctors who examined Gleason.

    The judge scheduled Gleason's trial for April 5.

    Gleason, 26, is charged with second-degree murder in the Sept. 12, 2017, killing of Bruce Cofield and first-degree murder in the Sept. 14, 2017, slaying of Donald Smart.

    Gleason also is charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder stemming from a Sept. 11, 2017 incident in which he allegedly fired several shots into the home of the only black family on the Sandy Ridge Drive block where he lived with his parents. Two men were inside but not injured.

    Authorities have said the three nighttime shootings were apparently random and possibly racially motivated.

    Cofield, 59, was shot as he sat at a bus stop on Florida Street near South Acadian Thruway. Smart, 49, was killed at the Alaska Street BREC park while walking to his overnight shift at Louie's Cafe.

    Gleason is linked to Cofield's killing and the nonfatal shooting through DNA evidence, and to both fatal shootings and the nonfatal incident through ballistics evidence, authorities have said.

    Prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty after consulting with Smart's family.

    Gleason would be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty of first-degree murder. Second-degree murder also carries a penalty of life imprisonment.

    https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...78f6f5c7c.html
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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