NEW ORLEANS — The jury has found Kenneth Augustine guilty of two counts of second-degree murder for shooting and killing Gregory Heisser III and Darnisha Desilva in their Little Woods home in front of their young kids in 2018.
On Thursday, a young girl recounted the day her parents were killed as the man accused of killing them was sitting a few feet away.
DA Jason Williams said the jury came back with unanimous verdicts on all counts. They found Kenneth Augustine guilty as charged for two counts of obstruction of justice, for two counts of second-degree murder, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Williams said.
"Jury came back very quick in this case," he said. "But that is in no way based upon the case that we found when we came into the office. This family has suffered unimaginable grief in terms of what Kenneth Augustine did to this couple in their home in front of their three children."
Williams said there was a time it wasn't clear that the criminal legal system was going to be able to hold Kenneth Augustine accountable.
"In 2020 we lost three adult eyewitnesses. As you can think back Covid was taking a lot of lives in the city of New Orleans and there were witnesses who testified in this room, in this grand jury, about watching him [Kenneth Augustine] gun down Greg and chase Darnisha through the house, leaving carnage and blood throughout that small home and leaving three toddlers in it " he said.
Those witnesses died, DA Jason Williams said. "And when those witnesses died we were afraid that this case was gonna die."
He said the family did not give up.
"It's been a long journey for me and my family," said Lurline Labeaud Duncan, Heisser’s mom. "I just never gave up no matter what dead end we came into."
Duncan said her life has changed so much since she started taking care of her grandchildren and nieces.
"I gave a strong, long, hard fight to seeking justice for my son, Gregory Heisser III and my daughter-in-law Darnisha Desilva ", she said. "Hearing guilty in the first count I knew what was following."
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Duncan became overwhelmed with tears when asked about how she and the family will move forward.
"I can't wait to get home and tell them", she said. "And I can't wait to get home to share that they don't have to worry. My grandson doesn't have to worry about going outside and playing anymore."
Desilva's sisters, Javonda and Anissa also spoke about the verdict and the tragic loss.
"I can only imagine as a mother what it would be like to see my daughter dead on the floor and see Gregory on the floor and not be able to help them," said Darnisha's oldest sister Javonda Desilva. "And it happened from somebody who we once called a brother, someone she [Darnisha Desilva] trusted."
Javonda said the family had known Augustine for two years prior to the deaths of Desilva and Heisser.
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