In the spring of 2019, a verbal dispute at a Lafayette, Louisiana apartment complex tragically escalated, ending the life of 34-year-old Kendrick L. Flugence. On March 24th, at the Mont Chateau Apartments on Louisiana Avenue, Flugence was shot multiple times following an argument. The situation, which had initially de-escalated, intensified once again with the arrival of Flugence's father.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of Taveon Malik Leary.
Leary was subsequently indicted by a grand jury and charged with the second-degree murder of Kendrick Flugence. The case proceeded to trial in February 2023. During the trial, Leary claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging that Flugence and his father had repeatedly threatened to kill him in the week leading up to the incident and on the day of the shooting itself. However, testimony from Flugence's father stated that there was only a verbal altercation and that his son was attempting to flee when he was shot in the back.
On February 13, 2023, a jury delivered a unanimous verdict, finding Taveon Malik Leary guilty as charged of second-degree murder. Following the conviction, Leary's motions for a new trial and post-verdict judgment of acquittal were denied. In June 2023, the court sentenced him to life in prison at hard labor. Leary later appealed his conviction, arguing that the state had not sufficiently disproven his claim of self-defense. The conviction was ultimately upheld.
