COVINGTON, La. — In January, 32-year-old Joseph Anthony Peoples was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the April 2020 murder of Shawn Whiteside.
Peoples, who was 29 at the time of the homicide, was sentenced on two counts of obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
District Judge Alan Zaunbrecher ordered the sentences to run consecutive to life in prison, for a total of 120 years.
Peoples initially claimed self-defense in shooting the 34-year-old victim in the chest after a heated argument turned deadly.
During the trial, Peoples' live-in girlfriend at the time, Allison Cook, who was also arrested following the incident, testified that Peoples shot the pleading victim in the car during a jealous rage. Peoples then dumped the body unceremoniously onto the ground of the hunting club located off Louisiana Highway 1072.
Cook claimed Whiteside's last words were "Don't do this...I have two sons."
However, it was Peoples' attorney who claimed a jealous Cook shot Whiteside due to unfounded suspicions that he and Peoples were involved sexually.
The Office of 22nd Judicial District Attorney Collin Sims said the jury rejected that claim and rendered a guilty verdict on all counts in just over 20 minutes.
"Justice demands you're speaking not only for the decedent in this case, but also for his boys, his widow, his mother and his aunt," stated Assistant District Attorney Hank Meyer told the jury during closing remarks.
Peoples has three unrelated pending felony cases and several prior felony convictions.
Joseph Peoples Peoples receives life in prison, plus two other sentences to run consecutively for a total of 120 years.
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