New Orleans, Louisiana criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with second-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and possession of a firearm.

Jeremiah Williams was accused of shooting and killing f U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant Frederick Magee Jr., on November 2, 2024.

New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), officers responded to reports of a shooting at approximately 6:30 p.m. on November 3, 2024, in the 700 block of Tchoupitoulas Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered Magee lying on the sidewalk outside a hotel, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel responded, but Magee was pronounced dead at the scene.



Surveillance footage captured the driver of a black SUV exiting the vehicle, approaching Magee, and opening fire with a rifle. The shooter continued firing after Magee fell to the ground before returning to the SUV and fleeing the scene. Investigators recovered 12 spent rifle casings from the location.

NOPD Homicide Detective Matthew Riffle led the investigation, which relied on surveillance footage and cellular phone data to track the suspect vehicle’s movements to the West Bank. Investigators subsequently located a burned SUV believed to have been used in the shooting. The investigation identified Williams as the shooter.

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Under Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 14, § 30.1, second-degree murder is the killing of a human being under specific legal conditions.

Legal Conditions for Second-Degree Murder

An individual commits second-degree murder in Louisiana under circumstances including:

• Specific Intent: The offender acts with specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm.

• Felony Murder: The killing occurs during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of specified felonies (such as certain sexual offenses, arson, burglary, kidnapping, robbery, and terrorism), regardless of intent. A complete list of enumerated felonies can be found in the referenced documents.

• Drug Distribution: The unlawful distribution or dispensing of controlled dangerous substances (Schedules I through V) that directly causes the consumer's death, or indirectly causes death through a secondary distributor.

Penalty

• Mandatory Sentence: Carries a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

• Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile offenders at the time of the offense may be eligible for parole consideration after serving 25 years, in accordance with state law and constitutional rulings.

The Defendant was found guilty.