In a tragic turn of events on January 17, 2022, Jonathan Pizzuto, a 38-year-old White/Caucasian male from Metairie, Louisiana, was killed in what his family described as a senseless act of violence. Pizzuto and his roommate, William Mitchell, 36, were fatally shot inside their home in the 600 block of Rosa Avenue while they were playing video games. A friend who had arrived to join them for gaming discovered their bodies and alerted the authorities.
Pizzuto was a graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School and was remembered by his family as a kind, caring, and warmhearted person with a great sense of humor.
The investigation into the double homicide led Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies to identify 27-year-old Cody Labranche of Ponchatoula as the primary suspect. Labranche was the brother of Pizzuto's late fiancée, Brittany, who had died of a drug overdose in the same home in July 2020. Investigators learned that Labranche blamed Pizzuto for his sister's death, a belief that authorities say fueled the deadly confrontation. Evidence showed that on the night of the murders, Labranche drove from his home, having removed the license plate from his car, and entered Pizzuto's residence through an unlocked side door, armed with a pistol.
Following his arrest on February 11, 2022, by a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, Labranche was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of obstruction of justice for disposing of the murder weapon, which he claimed to have thrown into a river. During the investigation, it was also discovered that Labranche had taken Pizzuto's dog, Dro, after the shooting and abandoned the animal in Hazelhurst, Mississippi.
Labranche's trial took place in November 2024. His defense team argued that he had acted in self-defense, claiming that he believed Mitchell was reaching for a weapon. However, the prosecution presented evidence from the crime scene reconstruction that refuted this claim, showing that the victims were likely sitting and attempting to flee when they were shot multiple times. The pattern of the ten. 45-caliber bullet casings found at the scene indicated that Labranche began firing as he entered the living room and continued to shoot as he moved across it. On November 8, 2024, after deliberating for only about 35 minutes, a Jefferson Parish jury found Cody Labranche guilty as charged on all counts.
On December 4, 2024, a judge sentenced Labranche to two consecutive life sentences in prison for the murders of Jonathan Pizzuto and William Mitchell, plus an additional 40 years for obstruction of justice. During the sentencing hearing, Pizzuto's mother testified about the profound loss her family had experienced and shared that her grandson had been playing video games online with his uncle at the time of the shooting, hearing the gunshots without understanding what was happening. Family members also recounted the deep grief Pizzuto had felt over the death of Labranche's sister, with whom he had been in a relationship for over a decade.
