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Judge J. Sterling Snowdy sentenced Arthur Williams, Jr. of Reserve to twenty-four years in prison. A St. John the Baptist Parish jury had found Williams guilty of Aggravated Second Degree Battery following a two-day trial on December 12, 2019.

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. Nevertheless, Williams was granted parole on November 17, 2017.

District Attorney Bridget A. Dinvaut charged Williams as a habitual offender based on his prior Armed Robbery conviction. The State’s case was presented by Assistant District Attorneys Christopher Cortez, Henri Dufresne, and Justin Lacour. Williams was represented by Public Defender Eric Goza.