Wilson sentenced to 25 years for manslaughter

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Approximately a year and nine months after a stray bullet claimed the life of Kathy Weston, the man found guilty of committing the crime received his sentencing.
An Evangeline Parish jury of 12 found Robert Marquez Wilson guilty of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, in October of 2018.
When determining how long the 22-year-old would spend behind bars, 13th Judicial District Court Judge Chuck West sited several Third Circuit Court of Appeals decisions including the State of Louisiana vs. Morein. In this case, the Court of Appeals stated “maximum sentences are reserved for the most serious of violations and the worse offenders.”
Judge West said, “Because the pre-sentencing report shows you have no prior convictions and only one pending non-violent charge, you cannot be classified as the worst of offenders and the maximum sentence would not be appropriate. Therefore, I sentence you to 25 years at hard labor.”
Wilson, who has been imprisoned since April of 2018, also received credit for time served.
Following the sentencing, Wilson’s attorney, Elbert Guillory said, “I have always believe my client is innocent. I do believe the investigation, which produced no DNA and resulted in another young man being arrested and incarcerated for a year was faulty. This matter is being appealed.”
The other young man that Guillory is referring to who was arrested for this crime originally was Wilson’s brother, Tiberious Wilson. Tiberious was released from jail nearly a year later in April 2018, which then led to Marquez’s arrest.
On behalf of the State of Louisiana, this case was prosecuted by Evangeline Parish First Assistant District Attorney Marcus Fontenot and Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Monier.