By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A defendant from last year’s
St. John the Baptist Parish deputy shooting case is questioning the legality of the
death penalty, according to an anonymous source.
A motion was filed for Kyle Joekel concerning the constitutionality of the death penalty, but details were scarce because of a reported gag order. The court previously found probable cause for Joekel in three attempted first-degree murder charges in relation to officers Jason Triche, Anthony Bullock and Charles Wale during the final preliminary hearing in June.
The court also found probable cause for
all charges against Brian Smith. The
charges for Smith included three counts of attempted first-degree murder of the officers Triche, Bullock, Michael Scott Boyington and Wale, and charges of the first-degree murder in the deaths of officers Brandon Nielsen and Jeremy Triche.
Probable cause also was found for Terry Smith on the charge of accessory after the fact to attempted first-degree murder.