Jeff Davis woman freed by State Supreme Court after repeated delays in Att. Manslaughter trial

BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) - A Jeff Davis parish woman will no longer face Attempted Manslaughter charges after a Louisiana State Supreme Court ruling on Friday.

Kathleen Mouton was arrested in August of 2018 in connection to the shooting on South Main Street in Jennings. Authorities had said she shot the victim, Dmarcus Charles, several times before fleeing the scene.

The trial for Mouton was delayed six times since June 24, 2020. The defense requested the first continuance, but thereafter, the state sought each continuance. On August 17, 2022 Mouton and her defense team filed a motion to quash based on untimely prosecution. The trial judge granted the request, which was overturned by the Appeals Court. The Appeals Court justices ruled that since the court was closed during Hurricane Laura, the delay was justified.

Louisiana State Supreme Court judges disagreed saying the state had an additional 60 days to bring the case to trial which would have been August 23, 2021 and granted the defense motion to quash.