In the early evening of January 27, 2014, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of a Terrytown, Louisiana neighborhood, leaving two brothers dead. Ronald Perrier, a 26-year-old male from Harvey, and his younger brother, 21-year-old Jonas Perrier of Marrero, were fatally shot outside a residence on E. Monterey Court around 7 p.m. When Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered a significant number of spent shell casings, indicating the intensity of the violence that had unfolded.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed to a dispute involving Ronald Perrier and several other individuals in the weeks leading up to the shooting. A crucial witness, the victims' brother, Jessie Perrier, was present at the time of the killings and identified one of the shooters to the police. Based on his testimony, arrest warrants were issued for Lavelle M. Harrell, also known as 'Big Mike,' and four co-defendants. Jessie Perrier told investigators that he witnessed Harrell shoot at his brother Ronald before fleeing the scene.
Lavelle M. Harrell was subsequently arrested and indicted on two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Ronald and Jonas Perrier, as well as one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
When the case went to trial, a twelve-person jury heard the evidence presented by the prosecution, including the eyewitness testimony of Jessie Perrier. However, after deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the second-degree murder charges, resulting in a mistrial for those counts. Despite the hung jury on the murder charges, they found Lavelle M. Harrell guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. For this conviction, the court sentenced Harrell to twenty years in prison at hard labor, without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.
