In LaPlace feed store killing, defendant convicted of second-degree murder: report

Five years after a robber killed a LaPlace businessman and wounded his wife, a jury has convicted defendant Charles McQuarter III of second-degree murder, L’Observateur reports. The verdict came down in 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard.

McQuarter also was found guilty of armed robbery with a gun for the Feb. 25, 2014, crimes at LaPlace Feed and Supply. The store operator, Steven Finckbeiner, was killed, and wife, Connie Finckbeiner, was shot in the face but still managed to call authorities. The store’s cash register had been stolen.

LaPlace shooting kills store operator, wounds wife, sends schools into lockdown

When the jury announced its decision Thursday night (March 28), shouts of profanity emanated from the gallery, L’Observateur reports. McQuarter’s mother sobbed.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 17. Second-degree murder carries a mandatory punishment of life in prison, while the robbery conviction subjects him to a penalty of 10 to 99 years in prison.

• <a href="https://www.lobservateur.com/2019/03/29/local-man-found-guilty-of-second-degree-murder-in-laplace-feed-store/"><i>Read the full report at the L’Observateur.</i></a>

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St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s deputies investigate a shooting that killed one person and wounded another at a LaPlace business on Tuesday, February 25, 2014. (Brett Duke/)

Charles McQuarter III (St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office/)