Last week, Kahlil Howard of 7233 LA Hwy 405 Donaldsonville, LA, age 27, pled guilty to Attempted 2^nd Degree Murder and Armed Robbery. Howard was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Phil Maples and Brant Mayer. Presiding over this matter is the Honorable Judge Cody Martin. 

          On September 8, 2017, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a location in Donaldsonville in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies learned that a male victim had been shot behind the levee along the Mississippi River. Deputies located blood at the scene; however, the victim had already been transported to an area hospital. Detectives responded to the crime scene as well as the hospital where the victim was being treated for multiple gunshot wounds. Detectives learned that the victim had made contact with a black male subject at the foot of the Sunshine Bridge. The male subject, who the victim did not personally know but had previously met through a mutual friend, asked the victim for a ride. The victim agreed to give the subject a ride. During the ride, the subject brandished a handgun and ordered the victim to follow his directions. The subject forced the victim to drive across the Mississippi River levee into a cow pasture where the victim was ordered to exit his vehicle at gunpoint. The victim was further ordered to give the subject his money. The subject then began shooting at the victim striking him multiple times. The victim was able to run to a nearby residence for help. Detectives were able to identify the black male subject as Kahlil Howard. A warrant of arrest was issued for Howard, who was subsequently apprehended and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. 

          Upon entering a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges, sentencing was deferred to a later date pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation. The charge of Attempted 2^nd Degree Murder carries up to 50 years in state prison, and the charge of Armed Robbery carries up to 99 years in state prison. 

          It should be noted that Kahlil Howard is currently serving a 20-year sentence for a 2021 Manslaughter conviction. Howard was out on bond for that offense when this incident occurred.