Kevin Daigle pleaded not guilty Thursday in the August death of a Louisiana State Trooper and a Moss Bluff man.
Daigle, 54, is accused of shooting his roommate, Blake Brewer, and State Trooper Steven Vincent. Daigle is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The Calcasieu District Attorney’s Office also on Thursday added a charge of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, to which Daigle pleaded not guilty.
A trial date was set for Sept. 19, 2016. A number of motions were heard in the short hearing Thursday.
Judge Guy Bradberry discussed pretrial publicity with attorneys for both sides and said that the issue of recording grand jury proceedings was moot and that the state was not required to record.
The defense requested that certain evidence be preserved so that it can do its own testing, but the state said that certain “touch” evidence would only be able to be tested once.
Authorities say Daigle first shot and killed Brewer with a 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun. Some time later, he got into Brewer’s truck and headed to the Bell City area, before wrecking the truck in a ditch.
Vincent was responding to a report of an erratic driver when he approached the truck. Daigle opened the door of the truck and shot him with the sawed-off shotgun, Col. Mike Edmonson said.
Calcasieu District Attorney John DeRosier has said he will seek the death penalty for Daigle. To read the indictment, click HERE.
Motions presented before Bradberry were:
- Notice of Enrollment and Assertion of Rights
- State’s Response to Defendant’s Notice of Enrollment and Assertion of Rights
- Assertion of Defendant’s Constitutional Rights
- State’s Response to Assertion of Defendant’s Constitutional Rights
- Motion to Preserve Physical, Scientific, and Documentary Evidence
- State’s Response to Defendant’s Motion to Preserve Physical, Scientific, and Documentary Evidence
- Motion for Notice of Grand Jury Proceedings
- State’s Response to Defendant’s Motion for Notice of Grand Jury Proceedings
- Motion for Grand Jury Proceedings to be Recorded
- State’s Response to Defendant’s Motion for Grand Jury Proceedings to be Recorded
- Motion for Preliminary Examination
- State’s Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Preliminary Examination
- Motion for Disclosure of Favorable Information
- State’s Response to Defendant’s Motion for Disclosure of Favorable Information
- Motion for Access to Crime Scene
- State’s Response to Defendant’s Motion for Access to Crime Scene & Request for Amended Order
