NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Jefferson Parish jury has found a 28-year-old Marrero man guilty of killing another man inside a shopping mall on Christmas Eve 2014.
Jurors deliberated less than 2½ hours Thursday before rejecting Gary Francois’ insanity defense, finding he knew the difference between right and wrong when he shot James Vaughn, 24, of Harvey.
His attorneys did not deny that Francois killed Vaughn. They argued that he could not be held criminally responsible because of schizophrenia and a paranoid episode triggered by a belief that Vaughn was at the center of a conspiracy against him.
“If Gary was in his right mind, it wouldn’t have happened,” defense attorney Tanzanika Ruffin told jurors during closing arguments, NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports (https://bit.ly/2oaF4qz ).
The District Attorney’s Office, in a news release, said prosecutors countered that theory with testimony from forensic psychiatrist Dr. Richard Richoux and forensic psychologist Dr. Rafael Salcedo, both of whom evaluated Francois. They concluded that although Francois has a psychiatric disorder, his actions before, during and immediately following Vaughn’s death prove he was able to distinguish right from wrong when he shot Vaughn.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said in an indictment that Francois was standing outside an athletic shoe store waiting for Vaughn to finish a purchase on the night of the incident. Francois then walked up to Vaughn and opened fire, striking Vaughn four times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sheriff Newell Normand said there was bedlam in the mall after the shooting. Francois was arrested after a brief chase.
Francois faces a mandatory life sentence for his conviction of second-degree murder. State District Judge Lee Faulkner set sentencing for May 18.
Ruffin did not immediately return a call late Thursday for comment regarding whether her client would seek an appeal.
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