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HAHNVILLE — Ryk Frickey, 44, was found guilty on April 22 by a St. Charles Parish jury. The six-member jury deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning its guilty verdict late Thursday afternoon. The verdict capped the first jury trial in St. Charles Parish since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three-day trial was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Casey Dieck and Rochelle Champagne Fahrig. Frickey was arrested on May 1, 2020 after firing a shotgun through the door of a Luling home with its residents inside.

The crime for which Frickey was convicted carries a minimum sentence of one year and a maximum sentence of 15 years with or without hard labor with the Louisiana Department of Corrections. Prior to trial, the District Attorney’s Office moved to invoke the firearm sentencing provisions set forth in the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure. The jury found, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant had discharged a firearm during the commission of a felony thereby raising the minimum prison term that Frickey will face from one year to 10 years.

Judge Connie M. Aucoin ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set Frickey’s sentencing for 1 p.m. July 20, 2021. While Frickey had been out on bond, following the jury verdict, Assistant District Attorney Casey Dieck moved for Frickey to be taken into custody. Judge Aucoin found Frickey to be a danger to society and ordered him to be remanded to the custody of the St. Charles Parish Sheriffs Office and held without bond.

“Senseless acts of violence such as this will not be tolerated in St. Charles Parish and my office will continue to vigorously prosecute these cases,” said District Attorney Joel T. Chaisson II. “This conviction could not have been secured without the swift response of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, the cooperation of the victims and the dedicated efforts of Assistant District Attorneys Casey Dieck and Rochelle Champagne Fahrig.”