Foret:

The accused stood silently in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Gary Ortego as the foreperson of the jury uttered two words which determined his fate in a second degree murder trial ... “not guilty.”
The accused was John Isaac Foret for allegedly committing the murder of Wesley Snoddy on May 18, 2018, the verdict of the jury was unanimous.
“We are excited with the jury’s decision,” said defense attorney Jacob Fusilier. Fusilier was part of the defense team with Alexandria lead attorney Mike Small.
“We think it was the right decision,” Fusilier continued.“The Foret family and my client feel vindicated by the decision, and they want to thank the jury for its efforts. We feel the evidence supported the verdict, and we want to complement the professionalism of our opponents in the DA’s (district attorney’s) office.”
In a statement to the Ville Platte Gazette, Evangeline Parish District Attorney Trent Brignac said, “With regard to the verdict in the trial of State versus Isaac Foret, I want to thank the jury for its time and patience throughout the trial. We completely respect the jury’s verdict. They had a tough decision to make. You had two men with guns late at night, and one of them ended up dead. There were no witnesses to the shooting and limited physical evidence. There was no question as to whether Foret shot and killed Wesley Snoddy. The only question was whether the jury found the shooting was justified.”
“Some cases are best left to be decided by a jury of ones peers and this was one. I commend First Assistant District Attorney Marcus Fontenot and Assistant District Attorney Chris Ludeau on presenting as good a case as possible with the evidence available. I also commend defense counsel Mike Small and Jacob Fusilier on their presentation and professionalism during the trial.”
In closing arguments, Fontenot told the jury Foret was essentially parked in front of Snoddy’s front yard for 20 minutes, even though he knew he was not welcomed there. Snoddy, fearing for his life, grabbed his gun and went outside to confront Foret who shot through his window, killing Snoddy. They showed the bodycam footage from the responding officer. Crystal O’Neal is seen crying, saying she fears Foret will come after her next. However, in her testimony, they allege she downplayed her fear because she is still in love with Foret and living at his home. The assistant DA also said Snoddy had mobility issues walked with a limp, so he could not have sprinted as the defense suggested.
In the defense attorney’s closing arguments, Small said Foret did not behave as someone who was planning on murdering someone. He was parked on a public road in front of Snoddy’s home, texting Crystal to see if she was okay. When Snoddy came out of his home, he sprinted, gun aimed at Foret’s vehicle. Foret, fearing for his life, shot at Snoddy. The defense argued that if Foret were planning on shooing Snoddy, he would have rolled down his window first. They also said the autopsy report showed Snoddy had methamphetamine in his system, which would make someone act irrationally. The assistant DA downplayed the meth found in Snoddy.