NEW ORLEANS — Two teenagers accused of killing a New Orleans pastor’s wife during a carjacking were sentenced Monday under a plea deal in which they previously agreed to prison time for manslaughter.
Jontrell Robinson, 18, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Edwin Cottrell, 19, was sentenced to 12 years in the killing of Jeannot Plessy in November 2018.
The defendants avoided a second-degree murder trial with the plea agreements. They also pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder, simple robbery, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Several members of Plessy’s family gave victim impact statements before Judge Ben Willard, including Plessy’s widower, pastor David Plessy.
According to NOPD, the 49-year-old victim arrived at her daughter’s home on Nov. 27, 2018 to pick up two of her preteen grandchildren. Plessy was yanked out of her vehicle and thrown to the ground by Robinson, who then got into the driver’s seat while Cotrell and an unidentified 14-year-old waited in a different vehicle.
When Plessy’s son-in-law heard screams, he tried to intervene. Robinson then accelerated the vehicle in reverse, striking both Plessy and her son-in-law.
The 14-year-old suspect pleaded guilty to his role in Plessy’s killing in juvenile court and was sentenced to six months in prison and 18 months parole.
“This tragic case serves as a stark reminder of the quick, violent turns that can take place when young offenders are involved in carjackings, auto thefts and vehicle burglaries,” Cannizzaro said in an earlier statement about the case. “These incidents can flip from non-violent to deadly in a split-second, as we have seen when Jeannot Plessy and Zelda Townsend lost their lives. For anyone to dismiss such crime as a 'nuisance' disrespects the lives lost and does a disservice to us all.”
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