JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The retrial of a man accused of fatally shooting another man at a Metairie gas station in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida started Monday with jury selection.
Walter Sippio, 20, is accused of shooting and killing Dwayne Nosacka, 36, at a Chevron gas station on Clearview Parkway in Metairie in September 2021.
It happened in the days after Hurricane Ida when there were long lines at gas stations. Sippio allegedly cut in line and was then confronted by Nosacka. The two men got into a dispute, and that’s when Sippio allegedly pulled a gun and shot Nosacka before driving off.
Witnesses drove after Sippio as he fled the scene, but they eventually lost him once he got on the interstate. Sippio later turned himself in to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and even turned over the gun.
During jury selection on Monday, the assistant district attorney told potential jurors that she believes “justifiable homicide” will be the defense in the case. Then she discussed what that means from a legal standpoint in this case. Sippio is charged with second-degree murder and faces a life sentence if convicted.
The case was already tried last May, but the jury in that first attempt was deadlocked. Judge Donald "Chick" Foret of the 24th Judicial District Court declared a mistrial, setting up the new trial which started Monday.
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