Shreveport man convicted of molestation, indecent behavior of juvenile
According to the Caddo D.A. stated 'a three-man, three-woman jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court found LaQuinton Eckles, 38, guilty after deliberating for 70 minutes.
'Over the course of the trial, the Caddo District Attorney's office called seven witnesses to prove that on Mother's Day in 2022, Eckles molested the minor victim. One week prior to the crime, Eckles spent several hours with the now-15 year-old child. On the night of the crime, the victim's mother consented for Eckles to visit with the child for two hours; however, he failed to return the child as promised and kept her out past midnight. The following day the girl reported the attack to her counselor, who notified the police,' detailed the Caddo District Attorney.
The trial was scheduled to began Monday at 1 p.m. but was delayed because Eckles had been arrested over the weekend on unrelated charges in DeSoto Parish and had to be transported to court from Mansfield.
'The victim was interviewed at the Gingerbread House and that recorded interview was played for the jury. At trial, Eckles denied ever being alone with the child. The jury rejected that assertion, returning its guilty verdicts.'
'Following conviction, defense counsel moved for an appeal bond to allow Eckles to remain free pending sentencing. Judge Hathaway denied that request, citing defendant's arrest in DeSoto for unrelated criminal activity while on bond for the molestation charge.'
The Caddo District Attorney stated Eckles sentencing is set for February 18, 2025.
The DA says, he faces from five to 20 years in prison for molestation of a juvenile when the offender has custody or control over the victim, and up to seven years in prison for the indecent behavior with a juvenile conviction.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Funeral director killed pallbearer at child's burial, MD cops say. He's sentenced
A Maryland funeral director fatally shot a pallbearer at a 10-year-old girl's burial when an argument unfolded during the service, authorities said. Now, Wilson Chavis, 50, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison, 'suspending all but 25 years,' in the killing of 30-year-old Ronald Banks, according to a July 11 news release from the Prince George's County Office of the State's Attorney. Information on Chavis' legal representation was not immediately available. 'This was an unthinkable tragedy — one that has caused immeasurable pain to multiple families,' State's Attorney Tara Jackson said in a statement. 'What these families and this community had to experience is something that should never happen.' Banks was shot by Chavis while working as a pallbearer for Arianna Davis at the Washington National Cemetery in Suitland on June 6, 2023, according to officials. The shooting was related to a 'long-standing business dispute' and sent Banks to a hospital, where he died of his injuries shortly afterward, Prince George's County Police Department said at the time, McClatchy News previously reported. As the girl's funeral was about to begin, Chavis confronted Banks and another woman, according to police, who said the individuals were both affiliated with a funeral service company Chavis had a history of disputing with. During the confrontation, Chavis fired two shots, police said. One hit Banks, while the other shot grazed the woman, who was not identified. The girl, Arianna, was killed nearly a month earlier when a stray bullet struck her May 14, on Mother's Day, in Washington, D.C., according to 7News 'I'm so traumatized that this happened at my daughter's burial site,' Antionette Belk, the girl's mother, told NBC4 Washington in June 2023. 'I didn't even get to lay her down, even to put her in the ground, and another incident happened.' Chavis' sentencing was held July 11, after he was convicted of second-degree murder, the use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence and reckless endangerment on Feb. 14, according to the state's attorney's office. 'Our hearts remain with the families that have suffered because of this tragic incident, and we remain committed to ensuring that those who commit such violent acts are held fully accountable,' Jackson said.
New York Post
11-07-2025
- New York Post
Vegas 7-Eleven security guard sentenced to 5 to 14 years in prison for killing customer over COVID-19 protocols
A Las Vegas security guard was sentenced to spend between 5 and 14 years in prison for fatally shooting a customer outside a 7-Eleven convenience store during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kegia Mitchell tearfully apologized on Thursday after she entered an Alford plea for the August 2020 death of 56-year-old Thomas Martin. 'I didn't mean to take this man's life, I did not,' Mitchell cried out in court. 'I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart.' The deal means she doesn't plead guilty to the murder of Martin but acknowledges that prosecutors may have enough evidence for a conviction, according to KLAS. Mitchell was tasked with regulating the number of customers permitted into the convenience store in Las Vegas' northeast section on August 26 when Martin cut the line and attempted to enter. 9 Kegia Mitchell holds a gun at Thomas Martin's head outside a Las Vegas 7-Eleven moments before shooting him on Aug. 26, 2020. 8 News Now Martin was blocked and began complaining that Mitchell was refusing to let him in while she had allowed other customers through the checkpoint. The two began arguing as Martin cursed at the security guard, threatening Mitchell before breaking past and into the store, the outlet reported. Mitchell grabbed the angry customer and the two shoved each other before she took out a handgun and pointed it at Martin's face, according to security footage of the incident. 9 Thomas Martin attempts to enter the convenience store but is stopped by Mitchell. 8 News Now 9 Kegia Mitchell entered an Alford plea in the August 2020 death of 56-year-old Thomas Martin in front of the convenience store in the northeast section of Las Vegas. 8 News Now The armed security guard led Martin out of the store with her gun inches from his head. Martin turned around and attempted to swat the gun out of Mitchell's hands when a shot rang out. Mitchell, who failed her first firearms safety training, was gifted the gun for Mother's Day, according to the outlet. She was arrested and charged with open murder. A grand jury later indicted her for murder with a deadly weapon. 9 Martin breaks past Mitchell and into the store before the security guard grabs him. 8 News Now 9 Police were outside the 7-Eleven in northeast Las Vegas after the shooting. 8 News Now The charges were changed to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault when Mitchell signed the Alford plea in April. Martin, a grandfather, was waiting to meet his newest granddaughter when he was killed. 'We were in the process of coming back here, you know, to let him meet the baby girl and everything, and the bad news hit,' son Brandon Martin told KLAS in September 2020. 9 Mitchell holds a gun up to Martin's face during the altercation inside the store. 8 News Now 9 Martin attempted to disarm the security guard several times before he was shot. 8 News Now Lawyers for Mitchell argued for parole as she had faced enormous pressure enforcing the guidelines during the pandemic. Clark County prosecutors claimed Mitchell abused her powers at work, pointing to a separate incident 19 days before Martin's death, where the security guard was recorded dragging a customer across the parking lot. 'How many times did we hear about 7-Eleven clerks shooting people and killing them during COVID? That wasn't a thing — that didn't happen. It's isolated to Miss Mitchell because she abused her authority,' Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner told the court, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 9 Mitchell appears in Clark County court for her sentencing on July 10, 2025. 8 News Now 9 Mitchell drags a woman in the parking lot of the store 19 days before Martin's death. 8 News Now 'Mr. Martin wasn't stealing. He cut a line. And what's outrageous about it is that when he cuts the line, it is Miss Mitchell who puts her hand on his shirt first. And the rest of the struggle is Mr. Martin saying, 'Get off of my clothing, let me go.' And she won't do it … Miss Mitchell ramps it up a whole other level. She pulls out a loaded gun, and she puts it to the side of his face,' Hamner added. Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones said the decision was complicated. 'It's not what took place in the store that's the biggest issue,' Jones said. 'It's what took place outside the store that's the biggest issue.' Brandon Martin celebrated the sentencing, saying that his father received justice following the sentencing. 'JUSTICE FOR MY DAD(TOMMY MARTIN)…..REST IN HEAVEN DAD WE GOT HER TODAY, IT WONT TAKE THE PAIN AWAY OF LOSING YOU BUT AT LEAST SHE'S FINALLY GOING AWAY AFTER 5 YEARS…..LOVE AND MISS YOU…..HE WAS ONE HAMMAH WAS NOT AFRAID OF THAT GUN, SWATTED IT AWAY ATLEAST 5 TIMES,' Brandon Martin wrote on Facebook.
01-07-2025
Husband of Suzanne Morphew back in Colorado to face murder charge for a second time
DENVER -- The husband of a woman whose remains were discovered over three years after she was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020 has arrived in Colorado to face a first-degree murder charge in her death for a second time. Barry Morphew was being held in the small city of Alamosa on Monday, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne E. Kelly said in a statement. Morphew was arrested June 20 in Arizona after being newly indicted in the death of Suzanne Morphew, three years after the initial case against him was dropped because of prosecutorial issues with evidence. He waived his right to challenge his extradition and has been waiting to be transported from a jail in Phoenix to Colorado. Morphew is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Colorado in the new case on Tuesday afternoon, Kelly said. A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of 'unspecified means' but ruled her death a homicide. While her remains showed no signs of trauma, investigators found in her bone marrow a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife that her husband had a prescription for, according to the indictment. Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared, and his attorney David Beller blasted the new indictment. 'Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence,' Beller said in a statement at the time. 'Barry maintains his innocence. The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either.' Beller didn't immediately return an email or a telephone message seeking comment on Monday. The mystery surrounding Suzanne Morphew began when the 49-year-old mother of two daughters, who lived near the small mountain community of Salida, Colorado, was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020. Her mountain bike and helmet were found in separate spots not far from her home, but investigators suspected the bike was purposefully thrown into a ravine because there were no indications of a crash. A week after his wife went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return and the case quickly drew attention. In May 2021, prosecutors charged him with murder. They dropped the case the following year just as Morphew was about to stand trial. A judge had barred prosecutors from calling key witnesses after the attorneys repeatedly failed to follow rules for turning over evidence in Morphew's favor. The judge allowed prosecutors the option of filing charges against Morphew later. Barry Morphew had filed a $15 million lawsuit against county officials, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights. His lawyers also filed a complaint asking that the prosecutors be disciplined for allegedly intentionally withholding evidence. The district attorney who prosecuted him the first time, Linda Stanley, was later ordered disbarred by regulators who found she mismanaged the case and made unethical comments to the media about it and other cases. Suzanne Morphew's body was not found until September 2023, when Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents stumbled upon her skeletal remains in a shallow grave during an unrelated search near the small southern Colorado town of Moffat, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of the Morphews' home. The majority of Suzanne Morphew's bones were recovered and many were significantly bleached, according to the indictment. Investigators found at the site a port through which Suzanne Morphew could receive medicine to treat follicular lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that she had. They also found biking clothes similar to what she was known to wear. Based on the condition of the remains and clothes, a forensic anthropologist theorized that the body likely decomposed elsewhere, the indictment said, before being moved to the site. Toxicology testing revealed that three drugs found in a sedative used for wildlife called 'BAM' were in her bone marrow. The coroner's office determined the cause of death was 'homicide by unspecified means' through intoxication of the three drugs, butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine. Barry Morphew obtained and filled several prescriptions for BAM while living in Indiana, shortly before the Morphews moved to Colorado in 2018. He was a deer farmer in Indiana and allegedly told investigators he used BAM to tranquilize deer in Indiana and Colorado, according to the indictment. In the area surrounding their home, no private citizens or businesses, only Colorado Parks and Wildlife and National Park Service officials, had obtained BAM between 2017 and 2020, records show. No government officials reported missing BAM supplies. 'The prescription records show that when Suzanne Morphew disappeared, only one private citizen living in that entire area of the state had access to BAM: Barry Morphew,' the indictment concluded.
