NEW ORLEANS — Two of the three suspects accused of killing a French Quarter tour guide appeared in court Wednesday.
Wednesday's court appearance comes nearly two months after Kristie Thibodeaux was killed while sitting in her car.
Jerban Alvarez and Joshua Bonifacio are charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Both pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The state and lawyers for both Alvarez and Bonifacio disagree on what the evidence in this case shows. The state says it clearly ties the two defendants to the homicide. Their lawyers say it actually shows they were not heavily involved.
According to the state, there's a video of the scene that shows both Alvarez and Bonifacio are in the car and help the third suspect get away. The state says that while they may not have pulled the trigger, they are equally responsible.
But their lawyers argue the opposite. They say evidence will show they weren't aware of what was happening beyond hearing gunshots. Bonifacio's lawyer says while it's a horrible tragedy, Bonifacio shouldn't face the same charges.
"When things are to be considered and what charges should be levied or not....satisfy the anger at what occurred," Bonifacio's lawyer, Stavros Panagoulopoulos, said.
The state also says they went through Alvarez's phone and saw conversations with Bonifacio explaining what happened and the details of the incident. They said they were even sending each other a NOLA.com story about the crime.
The judge set bond for the conspiracy to commit armed robbery charge at $100,000 for each defendant. Both already had a bond of $1 million each for the second-degree murder charge.
The third defendant, Kevin Nunez, is being held in juvenile detention and will appear in court on September 9.
Bonifacio and Alvarez are scheduled to appear in court again on September 27.
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