In the early morning hours of August 12, 2017, a tragedy unfolded in downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, that would claim the life of 31-year-old Christon Chaisson. Chaisson, a male resident of nearby Broussard, was in the vicinity of the Rosa Parks Center when he witnessed a woman being physically assaulted by a man. In an act of compassion, he chose to intervene to protect her.
This selfless act, however, had fatal consequences.
As Chaisson came to the woman's aid, another individual, 20-year-old Tyler Benoit of Kaplan, became involved. Benoit, an acquaintance of the man assaulting the woman, shot Chaisson once in his upper body. Emergency services were called to the 100 block of Lee Avenue around 1:30 a.m. where they found Chaisson suffering from the gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
In the wake of the shooting, Tyler Benoit turned himself in to the Lafayette police. He was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the death of Christon Chaisson. The case moved through the legal system, and in October 2021, a jury found Benoit guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter, as well as obstruction of justice for discarding the weapon used in the shooting.
Initially, in February 2022, Benoit was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 40 years in prison for manslaughter and a concurrent 20-year sentence for obstruction of justice. However, following an appeal that deemed the 40-year sentence excessive, a judge resentenced him in October 2023. His sentence for manslaughter was reduced to 32 years, which he is to serve concurrently with the 20-year sentence for obstruction of justice.
