By VICKIE JAMBON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – A LaPlace man remains in the Sherman Walker Correctional Center on a half-million dollar bond after a St. John the Baptist Parish grand jury upheld a second-degree murder charge on him Wednesday.

Anthony Trahan, 21, of 233 Devon Road, was indicted in the fatal stabbing of his former employer, James Wiley, 45, of LaPlace.

Trahan confessed to authorities he stabbed Wiley to death on Jan. 10 because the man fired him.

Trahan told investigators he planned to kill Wiley before he left for work that morning and that the two men shared a history of feuding.

“Trahan went through with a long-planned murder, after Wiley dismissed him from his job,” said Public Information Officer Maj. Michael Tregre with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Wiley picked up Trahan for work early in the morning and drove him to a job site. Wiley owned a general contracting business and Trahan worked for him. The two men created designs in concrete.

After the two men got into an argument at the job site, Wiley fired Trahan and drove him home.

Wiley’s pickup truck was parked in Trahan’s driveway, when the two men began to argue again.

While the two men sat in Wiley’s truck, Trahan pulled out a concealed knife and began stabbing Wiley.

Trahan got out of the vehicle after Wiley retrieved a revolver from inside the truck.

Wiley chased Trahan around the pick-up truck until Trahan took the gun away from Wiley and began firing it.

According to witnesses, Trahan ran away from Wiley. Wiley caught up to Trahan on Lancelot Drive and began stabbing him repeatedly.

Trahan escaped in Wiley’s truck, but was caught by authorities on Lancelot street.

Wiley was alive when he was found by authorities.

However, he later died at River Parishes Hospital.

Trahan was arrested in September 2004 for distributing marijuana.

In an unrelated case, Brandon Collins did not appear before the grand jury Wednesday, as scheduled.

First Assistant District Attorney Charles Lorio said he has postponed presenting the case to the grand jury. He did not say why.

Collins is charged with the Dec. 28 manslaughter of Robert Jones.

He confessed to shooting Jones in the parking lot of the Cash-N-Carry convenience store located at the corner of East 13th Street and River Road in Reserve.

Authorities said Jones was shot four times. However, Collins maintains he shot Jones in self defense.