By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office said this week that Reserve residents Errol and Tonya Victor, who remain incarcerated in Georgia, could be back in St. John the Baptist Parish by the end of next week so they can face trial for second-degree murder in the death of their son, 8-year-old M.L. Lloyd III.

Amanda Larkins, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office, said Monday that extradition papers that were filed with Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office early last month could reach Georgia authorities by next week. At that point, the couple would be returned to the custody of St. John Parish authorities.

“The papers were filed in early May, so it might be another two weeks before they return,” Larkins said Monday. “We can’t comment any further on exactly when they would be back or when a trial would resume.”

The Victors were initially arrested in 2008, when they were accused of severely beating Lloyd, Tonya’s son and Errol’s stepson, as part of a punishment. The couple took Lloyd to River Parishes Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Victors contend that Lloyd suffered a severe asthma attack and stopped breathing.

Since the initial arrest, the Victors were indicted three times and have also made several attempts to delay prosecution, including the hiring and firing of multiple attorneys. The couple was out on bail when they fled the area on Aug. 15 of last year.

U.S. marshals and Tift County sheriff’s deputies arrested the Victors April 14, a day after a story on the murder case was featured on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.” The couple had been on the run since August, when they failed to show up for their second-degree murder trial.

Representatives from the Attorney General’s Office were appointed as prosecutors in the case after the St. John District Attorney’s Office recused itself from the case back in 2009, when it was determined that an assistant district attorney had previously represented Errol Victor in various business matters.