Matt Bruce
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Louisiana-based storyteller
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Articles by Matt Bruce
Trial for escapees in 2025 New Orleans jailbreak delayed again. Here's why.
A judge who was recently handed the case of 10 accused jail escapees from the Orleans Parish lockup delayed setting a trial date to give time for one of them to hire a new lawyer. Criminal District Judge Angel Harris set a status hearing in the case for Sept. 30. Dkenan Dennis, 25, one of the accused jailbreakers, needs a new lawyer after his former one, David Belfield, received a yearlong suspension this month.
Gunman found guilty in killing of New Orleans woman and unborn child
New Orleans jurors convicted a Plum Orchard man for his role in a fatal 2019 drive-by shooting that killed a woman days before she was set to give birth. Tychelle Ridgley, 28, was 8 1/2-months pregnant when Zachery Holmes and two other gunmen ambushed her boyfriend near the couple’s doorstep in the 4700 block of Viola Street the night of Aug. 18, 2019. Two bullets pierced the front door, striking Ridgley as she sat on a couch in the front room.
Mother of slain comedian tells off convicted gunman as he heads to prison
Sherilyn Price, mother of comedian Brandon "Boogie B" Montrell, looks through photo albums of her son at her Slidell home Friday, August 14, 2026. Montrell was struck and killed by a stray bullet during a 2022 shootout at the Rouses on Baronne Street in New Orleans' Warehouse District.
Trial opens in New Orleans East killing of woman 8-months pregnant
A class action lawsuit alleging Fair Labor Standards Act violations against the owners of a group of IHOP franchises in Louisiana and Mississippi has expanded to more than 450 with a new filing. File photo, Nola.com A 2019 drive-by shooting that left a woman and her unborn baby dead in New Orleans East followed more than a year of conflict between her boyfriend and the men accused of killing her, prosecutors told a jury in court Wednesday.
New Orleans civil judge candidate should stay booted from race, Louisiana Supreme Court decides
Edward Washington III, left, and civil court district judge Jennifer Medley The Louisiana Supreme Court on Monday agreed that Edward Washington III should stay out of a judicial election, denying his last-ditch effort to remain viable in a race to unseat Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Jennifer Medley. In rejecting Washington’s request to remain in the race, the state court upheld decisions by two lower courts to disqualify Medley’s lone challenger over his tax filings.
Federal judge grills defendant over ‘coincidental’ house donation to New Orleans judge
A federal judge in New Orleans said Tuesday that he had planned to spare prison time for Arthur Allen Jr., a New Orleans man who pleaded guilty in April to bilking the government out of more than $700,000 in pandemic relief money.
Louisiana appeals court hears arguments from New Orleans judicial candidate disqualified over taxes
A New Orleans attorney who was recently barred from running for a civil court judgeship argued Monday that he wasn’t required to file his state income tax for 2023 and should be allowed to run because he “paid the balance.” Edward Washington III filed qualified papers this month to challenge Civil District Judge Jennifer Medley in the Nov. 3 municipal primary.
Convicted of killing two during armed Mid-City robbery, gunman gets double life sentence
Assistant District Attorney Corbin Bates, front, addresses media during a July 30, 2026 press conference announcing the conviction of Eric Cloud Kendrick Thomas/Orleans Parish DA's office A New Orleans man convicted of killing two people during a botched armed robbery in Mid-City six years ago will spend the rest of his life in prison after an emotion-filled sentencing hearing Friday. Eric Cloud was 17 when he shot and killed Angel Funez and Niukura Gonzalez, both 25, early on the morning of Feb.
DA’s office drops charge against woman accused of extorting Pelicans star Zion Williamson
A woman accused of trying to extort Pelicans star Zion Williamson for millions of dollars no longer faces criminal charges in New Orleans. Vanessa Davies, 26, had been charged with trying to force the Pels’ second-leading scorer to pay her by threatening to file a lawsuit alleging he raped, kidnapped and beat her over their five-year relationship.
Teen involved in woman’s killing during botched drug deal sentenced to 20 years
A New Orleans judge sentenced a Lower Ninth Ward teenager to 20 years in prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge tied to the killing of a woman during what police described as a drug deal gone awry. Kent Brown Jr. was 16 on the afternoon of Christmas Eve in 2023 when he was in a vehicle with an unidentified gunman who shot 33-year-old Myeisha Marshall in the 100 block of Exchange Place on the outskirts of the French Quarter.
3 candidates disqualified from Orleans Parish races for failure to file taxes
New Orleans Criminal Magistrate Judge Juana Marine Lombard was disqualified from the race to retain her seat after her opponent in the Nov. 3 election proved that she failed to file her state income taxes in 2023. Lombard, who is the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court’s chief judge, was one of three hopefuls removed from their respective races at the end of separate hearings at Orleans Parish Civil District Court on Monday.
Mother of slain comedian ‘Boogie B’ reflects on journey: ‘A village sprung up around me’
Sherilyn Price, mother of comedian Brandon ÒBoogie BÓ Montrell, is reflected in a large framed portrait of her son at her Slidell home Friday, August 14, 2026. Montrell was struck and killed by a stray bullet during a 2022 shootout at the Rouses on Baronne Street in New OrleansÕ Warehouse District. STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER Nearly four years after her son was killed in New Orleans, the city he loved, Sherilyn Price can’t muster the strength to watch videos of him.
Challenger says New Orleans Magistrate Judge Juana Lombard should be disqualified
A New Orleans attorney running to become the city’s elected magistrate judge has filed a challenge to the candidacy of incumbent Juana Marine Lombard, claiming she falsely certified that she’s filed state tax returns for the past five years. The challenge from Chanel Robinson Debose and voter Jackson Voss comes in what is now a two-person race for the elected judicial post overseeing the signing of warrants and setting of bonds for felony arrestees in the city.
Man accepts plea deal tied to slaying of New Orleans-bred comedian ‘Boogie B’ outside CBD market
The man accused of instigating a 2022 shootout outside a Rouses Market that left aspiring local comedian Brandon “Boogie B” Montrell dead from a stray bullet has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, Orleans Parish court records show. Jabril Cowart, 23, of New Orleans, accepted a plea deal Friday, three days before his trial was set to begin in the Dec. 23, 2022 shooting in the Central Business District.
Advocates open hotline for grand jurors who indicted AG Liz Murrill
Attorney General Liz Murrill holds up a letter from New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and five New Orleans City Council members to Special Prosecutor Laurie White asking to dismiss the charges against the attorney general during a press conference at the GOHSEP headquarters on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Advocates open hotline for grand jurors who indicted AG Liz Murrill
Attorney General Liz Murrill holds up a letter from New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and five New Orleans City Council members to Special Prosecutor Laurie White asking to dismiss the charges against the attorney general during a press conference at the GOHSEP headquarters on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Orleans criminal Judges Leon Roche, Simone Levine to challenge for colleagues’ seats on shrunken court
New Orleans criminal judge Leon Roche qualified to run for his first full term at the Criminal District Courthouse on Friday. But he won’t be running to retain his own seat on the bench in the Nov. 3 election. Instead, he’ll be taking aim at Judge Camille Buras, the criminal court’s longest-serving jurist.
30 judicial candidates file to run on opening day of election qualifying in New Orleans
Louisiana officials announced Tuesday a new “I Voted” sticker, designed by New Orleans artist T. Osborne. Louisiana Department of Elections Several incumbents qualified to fight for their seats Wednesday in what promises to be a monumental election season for the Orleans Parish’s courts.
New Orleans man gets 35-year prison sentence after admitting to sexual abuse of former girlfriends
A New Orleans man was sentenced Monday to 35 years in prison for unleashing vicious attacks on two former lovers. Both women gave tearful testimony recounting sexual assaults by Dominic Frazier that they said changed them forever. “What I experienced is something that no human should ever have to experience,” one of them said. Frazier, 38, sat with his head down as they spoke. District Judge Simone Levine then imposed a 35-year sentence under a plea agreement reached last month.
Newest Orleans Parish judge says he won’t seek another judgeship after seat axed
John Fuller, attorney for Isaac Hughes, speaks to reporters after the sentencing of Isaac Hughes at the Jefferson Parish Government Building Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Greta, La. (Photo by Matthew Perschall, The Times-Picayune) STAFF PHOTO BY MATTHEW PERSCHALL Newly elected to the Orleans Parish criminal court bench, Judge John Fuller said he won’t qualify this week to compete against a colleague after the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld legislation eliminating his seat and two others.
LA Supreme Court upholds law axing New Orleans judges
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law to eliminate three judgeships from New Orleans’ criminal court in five months in a split decision. Criminal District Judge John Fuller, who was elected to the bench in May just weeks before Act 748 became law, argued it was invalid because state legislators in both the Senate and House failed to meet a two-thirds supermajority vote requirement under the Louisiana Constitution.
New Orleans DA Jason Williams: ‘I don’t want to fight with the governor’ or Attorney General
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams stands with a team of prosecutors and investigators during a press conference in his office Thursday, July 30, 2026. Matt Bruce More than a week after Attorney General Liz Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry lashed out at New Orleans officials over the AG’s recently dismissed indictment, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said Thursday the public row hasn’t strained an alliance between his and Murrill’s offices.
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Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill heaped much of the blame for her indictment on New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams and Mayor Helena Moreno, saying she has reason to suspect Williams held influence over the grand jury despite his recusal a month before the indictment on charges of public intimidation and malfeasance in office.
Liz Murrill says she’s lost trust with New Orleans officials after indictment: ‘they fed it’
If New Orleans looks upon her as a felon, Attorney General Liz Murrill chalks it up to bad influences in the city. “They literally think that I’m a criminal because everybody told them I was,” Murrill said in a lengthy interview Thursday, a day after special prosecutor Laurie White dismissed the 16-count indictment that lit a political firestorm in Louisiana.
State seeks habitual offender sentence on driver who killed teens during police chase
Family and friends of Giselle Smith and Semaj Morris gathered on Sunday afternoon to mourn the two girls who were killed last week by a driver who was fleeing Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies. (Photo by Marie Fazio) Prosecutors with District Attorney Jason Williams’ office have filed a habitual offender bill that could send a convicted New Orleans shoplifter to prison for life for killing two teenage girls while trying to outrun law enforcement.
Woman arraigned in death of JPSO motorcycle deputy during funeral procession
A New Orleans woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to an indictment charging her with vehicular homicide over the death of Jefferson Parish motorcycle deputy Christopher Paul Ohlmeyer in January. An Orleans Parish grand jury returned the indictment July 2 against Erica Smith-Katsanis, 53. She faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.
New Orleans woman guilty in fatal strangling of fiancé, bicyclist killing
New Orleans Police Department investigate the scene of a fatal hit and run on Canal street and Rendon in New Orleans, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. Staff photo by SOPHIA GERMER When police arrested Laura Collins for fatally striking a bicyclist while driving near Canal Street in early 2020, her fiancé, Gerald Robicheaux, bailed her out of jail. But their relationship soured while she awaited trial for the fatal Mid-City hit-and-run.
His political future uncertain, Calvin Duncan returns to hunt for court records
Calvin Duncan Photo by Chris Granger / The Times-Picayune Two months ago, Calvin Duncan stood defiantly on the courthouse steps in New Orleans. Facing cameras and surrounded by an ebullient crowd, the former life prisoner was a central figure in the city’s intensifying battle against state legislators. City voters elected Duncan to be the Orleans Parish criminal court clerk, but the Legislature axed his seat.
Special prosecutor in Liz Murrill’s indictment asks to block subpoena about grand jury process
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Former New Orleans criminal judge Laurie White, the special prosecutor tapped to helm the grand jury probe that led to the recent public intimidation indictment against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, has asked the court to block a subpoena that aims to expose an alleged leak in the grand jury process. White filed her motion to quash Friday morning with the Criminal District Court.
By Matt Bruce Verified, John Simerman Verified
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The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
Verified
Louisiana Supreme Court to settle constitutionality of cuts to New Orleans judges Original
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday took over and fast-tracked a lawsuit challenging a new state law that reduced the number of judges in New Orleans courts. Criminal District Judge John Fuller sued Gov. Jeff Landry and other state officials, asking the courts to block the provision of Act 748 that eliminates three sections of criminal court by Jan. 1. Landry signed the measure into law last month.
Preliminary injunction granted in suit challenging state law that slashed New Orleans judges
The 19th Judicial District Court building on Monday, June 29, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Staff photo by Michael Johnson STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON The three New Orleans judges slated for removal last month by state lawmakers may be able to qualify to run for their seats in the upcoming election, under a Baton Rouge judge’s order Tuesday. But it remained far from settled if those races will actually happen.
Liz Murrill seeks to purge judge who oversaw her indictment from all AG cases Original
Attorney General Liz Murrill is seeking to remove Orleans Parish Criminal District Judge Leon Roche from dozens of cases her office is prosecuting before him, after Roche oversaw grand jury proceedings that led to a bombshell criminal indictment against her, a spokesman for her office said.
New Orleans students get exposure to courts, business in City Hall summer internship program
Hayden Barnes has always been interested in the law. He’s worked as a legal aide in the past, but recently, Barnes, 20, got his first taste of becoming a lawyer while participating in a summer internship through City Hall. Barnes was among a group of New Orleans high school and college students who did their internship at Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
Indicted ex-Orleans sheriff enters not guilty pleas as public corruption case gets underway
Following several weeks of delays as her case cycled through judicial recusals, former Orleans Parish sheriff Susan Hutson pleaded not guilty to the felony indictment in her public corruption case Friday morning. Hutson, 59, appeared before retired New Orleans criminal judge Dennis Waldron, an ad hoc judge appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court on June 30 to preside over the case against Hutson and her former chief financial officer, Bianka Brown.
Judge allows evidence of ‘gifted’ rings in federal case against ex-mayor LaToya Cantrell, bodyguard
A painting of former New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on the wall inside Gallier Hall in New Orleans on Friday, March 13, 2026.
LA Supreme Court appoints judge to preside over Attorney General’s criminal indictment Original
The Louisiana Supreme Court has appointed retired state appeals court judge Robert Chaisson to preside over Attorney General Liz Murrill’s intimidation case, which the court has stayed. The Supreme Court's order came down Thursday morning, a day after all 12 criminal court judges in New Orleans recused themselves from the criminal indictment and the court’s chief judge requested an ah hoc appointment. Murrill, a 62-year-old Republican, is the state’s top lawyer.
All 12 New Orleans judges recuse from Attorney General Liz Murrill’s intimidation case
All 12 criminal court judges in New Orleans recused themselves Wednesday from Attorney General Liz Murrill’s bombshell indictment, leaving it to the Louisiana Supreme Court to appoint an outside judge over a case it stayed last week. District Judge Angel Harris, who was randomly allotted the case, held a brief morning hearing to remove herself, and the remaining 11 judges followed suit with recusal orders of their own.
All 12 New Orleans judges recuse from Attorney General Liz Murrill’s intimidation case
All 12 criminal court judges in New Orleans recused themselves Wednesday from Attorney General Liz Murrill’s bombshell indictment, leaving it to the Louisiana Supreme Court to appoint an outside judge over a case it stayed last week. District Judge Angel Harris, who was randomly allotted the case, held a brief morning hearing to remove herself, and the remaining 11 judges followed suit with recusal orders of their own.
Ousted New Orleans attorney accused of swindling family out of $250,000 slated to accept plea deal
New Orleans criminal defense attorney Tanzanika Ruffin is slated to plead guilty next month in her federal wire fraud case, according to a notice filed Thursday in federal court. Ruffin, 48, is scheduled to change her plea on Aug. 27 over a felony fraud charge. She is accused of lying to the parents of a former client, Kai Hansen, allegedly convincing them to send her more than $250,000 in Venmo and wire transfers. Ruffin declined to comment.
LA Supreme Court appoints retired New Orleans judge to oversee ex-sheriff Susan Hutson’s case
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed retired New Orleans criminal judge Dennis Waldron to preside over the public corruption case of ex-Orleans Parish sheriff Susan Hutson.
Appellate court reinstates 98 counts of video voyeurism charges against New Orleans man
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeal reinstated dozens of video voyeurism charges against a man accused of taking nude photos and videos of at least seven different women while they were unconscious. Authorities allege Jeffrey Darlak, 45, of New Orleans, spent nearly two decades amassing a stockpile of lewd photos that he took of his female acquaintances without their knowledge or consent.
Woman convicted of shooting bystander dead during Bourbon Street gunfight gets 28 years
Christophers Oatts Jr. (left) with his son, Keiston, and father, Christopher Oatts Sr. (right). Courtesy of Christopher Oatts Sr. A woman convicted of firing a stray bullet that struck and killed Christopher Oatts Jr., two years ago has been sentenced to 28 years in prison, Orleans Parish Criminal District Court records show.
New Orleans asks La. Supreme Court to appoint outside judge in ex-sheriff Susan Hutson case
Nearly all of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges could be called to testify against indicted ex-Sheriff Susan Hutson if her public corruption case reaches trial, according to a recusal letter submitted to the Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday.
New Orleans judge slated for removal says Legislature didn’t have enough votes to slash bench
New Orleans Criminal Court Judge John Fuller has sued Gov. Jeff Landry and other officials over recent cuts to the city's criminal bench, arguing that state lawmakers failed to reach a required two-thirds vote before Landry signed a law to nix three judicial seats. Landry signed Act 748 into law this month, days after the Louisiana House signed off on a slate of eleventh-hour tweaks to the measure on the final day of the session. That came by a vote of 62-34 with nine state representatives absent.
Jury deadlocks in trial over fatal French Quarter mass shooting after two days of deliberation
The New Orleans Police Department investigates the scene of a quadruple shooting in the French Quarter at the intersection of Royal and Iberville streets in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. According to NOPD, 1 victim died. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune) STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER A New Orleans jury failed to reach a verdict Thursday after two days of testimony in the murder trial of a man accused of killing a woman during a mass shooting in the French Quarter.
Louisiana Supreme Court won’t revisit law merging New Orleans court clerks; city to seek SCOTUS review
The Louisiana Supreme Court won’t grant New Orleans city leaders a review hearing to argue against a controversial new law that merged the city’s clerk of court offices last month, declining to reconsider its decision this month upholding the new law. The decision appears to end state challenges to Act 15, which Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law days after the Legislature passed a bill that melded the city’s independent civil and criminal clerk’s offices into one.
Cousins plead guilty in fatal French Quarter quadruple shooting. Third relative slated for trial
Two of the three men accused of opening fire on a bustling French Quarter sidewalk in 2024, killing a woman and wounding three others, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges from the mid-afternoon quadruple shooting. The guilty pleas from cousins Nicholas Miorana, 30, and Darrel Adams, 24, came after jury selection for a trial scheduled before District Judge Camille Buras. They leave the third alleged gunman, Daniel Miorano, 23, to be tried alone after prosecutors declined to offer him a similar deal.
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