By james art BATON ROUGE — A man accused of killing two people, including an ex-girlfriend he believed was responsible for his arrest on meth charges, went on trial this week.
Brian Laverne, 37, is accused of killing Laquincia Jackson, 26, and Fredrick Hollins, 33, at a home in Tigerland on Jan. 23, 2021. Laverne and Jackson had been dating for years, but in the four years before the murder, Jackson had been seeing Hollins. court records show.
Police initially charged Lavergne with first-degree murder, but a grand jury returned an indictment for second-degree murder.
Prosecutors say Lavergne blamed Laquincia for his arrest on methamphetamine and drug possession charges. Five days after the arrest near the intersection of Highland Road and Burbank Drive, Jackson and Hollins were shot multiple times with a 12-gauge shotgun while in bed.
Police focused on Lavergne after the woman’s family said Lavergne called her more than 100 times on the day she died.
Last June, a judge ruled that the methamphetamine bust could not be used in Laverne’s trial, saying it was not an element of murder and that the “relationship of the arrest to the murders was ‘very tenuous.’ The state appealed to the 1st Circuit, which overturned the decision in September.
Lavergne is represented by defense attorney S. Sterling III. Sterling insists his client is innocent, and during jury selection he questions potential jurors about their ability to remain fair and open during the trial.
“We believe he is innocent and has been waiting for his trial date for three years,” Sterling said. “All we wanted were qualified jurors who have an open mind and no background knowledge of the case and who are willing to hear all the evidence and reach a reasonable verdict.” That’s all we really want. This is what my client wants, and he’s been waiting for it for years.”
The case is being heard by 19th Judicial District Judge Louise Hines.