GRETNA, La. — Former Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Isaac Hughes declined to comment as he walked out of the parish courthouse Tuesday.
Earlier, Judge Christopher Cox gave Hughes, 31, a sentence of three years of active probation for the death of Daniel Vallee, 34.
Hughes faced up to five years in prison.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said, “This case is the result of, and the culmination of, a very unfortunate set of circumstances. After balancing all of the factors in this case, I do find that a sentence of imprisonment is not warranted."
Hughes’ attorney John Fuller said the facts and the evidence did not meet the definition of criminal negligence.
“We respect the judge’s sentence,” Fuller said. “It’s in line with all of the elements under our state’s sentencing recommendations.”
Vallee’s mother Tammie Jamhour called the sentence disappointing and heartbreaking.
“Nobody deserves to die like my son died,” Jamhour said. “Twenty-six bullets. It was an awful scene and just seeing it play over and over and over and over and over. They shot him up and threw him out of the car like he was a dog.”
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Last month, a Jefferson Parish jury convicted Hughes on a lesser charge of negligent homicide.
The same jury found fellow JPSO Deputy Jonathan Louis not guilty.
They were both facing a manslaughter charge for shooting and killing Vallee in the early morning hours of February 16, 2022.
The unarmed Vallee was sitting inside a parked SUV outside a suspected drug house in Marrero.
His refusal to get out of the vehicle sparked a 15-minute-long deadly confrontation with deputies.
“They could have handled it a whole different way,” Jamhour said. “They could have tased him. They could have jimmied the car. They just shot him and killed him for no reason at all.”
Legal Analyst Craig Mordock explained the mitigating factors that went into Hughes’s sentencing.
“Officer Hayes was a member of the JPSO,” Mordock said. “He had never committed a crime. It is unlikely he would ever commit a crime again. As a result, that is leaning toward why he would benefit more from probation.”
Glen McGovern, an attorney for the Vallee family said while his clients did not get the justice they were seeking with this criminal trial, they are hoping the outcome will be different with their civil rights lawsuit against the JPSO and Sheriff Joe Lopinto.
“It’s a story of supervisors at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, failure to train, failure to screen and failure to take action to investigate what happened here so it doesn’t happen again,” McGovern said.
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Hughes took the stand to apologize to Daniel Vallee’s mother before he learned his sentence.
He said “I know you hate this. I hate this too. I’ll be praying and ask that God be with you…I’m sorry”
Jamhour accepted the apology but said it wouldn’t bring back her son.
Hughes’ attorney said they have not decided yet whether to appeal the conviction.
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