EDGARD — After a two-day trial before a six-person St. John the Baptist Parish Jury, Defendant  Arthur Williams Jr.  of Reserve was found guilty of Aggravated Second Degree Battery. Judge J. Sterling Snowdy presided over the trial.

The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Bridget A. Dinvaut’s office with Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Cortez, Henri Dufresne, and Justin Lacour presenting the State’s case. Public Defender Eric Goza represented Williams.

According to testimony, on April 23, 2019, Williams beat his girlfriend with a belt, striking her multiple times with the metal buckle. Williams also grabbed a hot iron and burned the victim on her right arm. Finally, Williams retrieved a metal pipe and beat the victim repeatedly all over her body. The victim was subsequently treated at the emergency room for broken fingers, a second-degree burn, and contusion to her head.

At the time of the attack, Williams was out of jail on parole. Williams had been convicted of armed robbery in New Orleans in 1999 and was sentenced to serve a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola as a habitual offender. However, as a result of newly­ enacted laws of the Louisiana State Legislature  supported  by the Governor under “Justice Reinvestment” legislation, Williams was granted parole on November 17, 2017.

As a result of this conviction, Williams faces up to fifteen years in prison. Judge Snowdy has scheduled sentencing  for January 13, 2020.