NEW ORLEANS — For Felton and Jennifer Hudson, their nine-hour drive from Georgia to New Orleans came with mixed emotions.
“It’s finally happening. The day we’ve been waiting on is here and we have dread because we hope my son will get justice,” said Felton Hudson.
The Hudsons’ only child, Spencer Hudson, 46, was killed last March by a stray bullet while bartending at the Cat’s Meow on Bourbon Street. Police say Daphney Jackson, who was 24-years-old at the time, had gotten into a fight outside and started shooting.
“It’s been a nightmare. That’s all I can tell you,” said Felton Hudson.
The Hudsons say their son worked hard, had saved up his bartending money, and was getting ready to travel around the world.
“It was just a heartbreak because he was just so ready to live his life in full and he had the best zest for life of anybody I’ve ever known in my life,” said Jennifer Hudson.
The Hudsons say their son was an extensive traveler but after moving to New Orleans in 2002, he found a home.
“He was in a lot of dangerous places but then he loses his life in a city that he loved,” said Felton Hudson. “He loved the culture and the history.”
He also loved his job on Bourbon Street, a place where his personality shined. He worked on and off at Cat’s Meow for about 20 years.
“He loved Cat’s. They had great comradery there,” said Jennifer Hudson. “Spencer was the kind of person who worked in order to live.”
Knowing their son was an innocent bystander doing what he loved only makes his death harder to deal with.
“It’s madness that people are getting killed for no reason,” said Felton Hudson. “It’s just been a heartache.”
That heartache is now playing out in a New Orleans courtroom.
“We want a fair trial, and we want justice,” said Jennifer Hudson.
Jackson faces charges of manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and illegal use of weapons.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.