A man accused in a fatal Bourbon Street shooting that stemmed from an alleged struggle with a security guard inside a bar was charged with manslaughter, attempted second-degree murder and illegal firearm possession, in a bill of information filed last week by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Louis Barnes, 37, was arrested in the Feb. 24 shooting that injured a security guard and killed 36-year-old Julie Couvillon. Police have accused Barnes of grabbing a security guard’s gun as the guard was removing Barnes from Willie’s Chicken Shack in the 400 block of Bourbon Street.
Couvillion, a registered nurse at Ochsner, was shot in the neck.
Barnes initially was booked on second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder charges, and his bond was set at $1.5 million. Jail records showed his bond remained the same Monday (May 6) afternoon.
District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office said Monday prosecutors determined a murder charge could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt after a careful review of case evidence.
“The inability to prove the specific intent of murder does not diminish in any way the tragedy of Ms. Couvillon’s death nor our determination to achieve justice on her behalf,” Cannizzaro said. “As we have explained to her family, we are very confident that the evidence supports the charges we have filed."
Man accused in Bourbon Street shooting ‘did not murder anybody,' lawyer says
Barnes’ attorney, Leon Roche of the Orleans Public Defenders, said at a court hearing days after the shooting that Barnes was not the aggressor and did not bring a gun to Bourbon Street.
“He did not murder anybody,” Roche said in court.
Roche said Barnes was “shot by the person they labeled a security guard,” and called on police to publicly release video of the shooting.
Barnes faces 10 to 50 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder, and up to 40 years if convicted of manslaughter. Additionally, Barnes was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a sentence of between five and 25 years upon conviction.
Barnes has previous convictions including carnal knowledge of a juvenile, attempted firearm possession by a felon, unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling, illegal possession of stolen things and bail jumping. He had two pending failure to register charges at the time of the shooting.
Because of those convictions, Barnes could face more prison time -- possibly a life sentence -- if prosecutors charge him as a multiple offender, according to Cannizzaro.
Assistant District Attorney Inga Petrovich screened the case and filed the bill of information May 3.
via nola.comhttps://www.nola.com
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