In the summer of 2014, the life of 19-year-old Valerie West was tragically cut short in Lafayette, Louisiana. On June 30, 2014, her body was discovered on the side of Gazette Road, merely a block from her home on Madame Germaine Street. An autopsy later confirmed that the young woman had sustained a single, fatal gunshot wound to the head, with the coroner describing the injury as being inflicted in a suspicious manner.
The initial discovery launched a homicide investigation as law enforcement began the arduous task of piecing together the final moments of West's life.
The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office diligently pursued various leads in the months that followed. Their investigation eventually pointed them toward a suspect, a 34-year-old man from Columbia, Mississippi, named Jason Marlin. With the assistance of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Marlin was apprehended at his residence in Mississippi. Following his arrest, he was extradited to Louisiana to face legal proceedings.
Marlin was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in connection with Valerie West's death. He was held at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a $250,000 bond. A grand jury later indicted him on the second-degree murder charge, to which he pleaded not guilty. The case then moved forward within the legal system, marking the next chapter in the quest for justice for Valerie West.
