THIBODAUX, La. (AP) - A man police say is responsible for stabbing a mother and her two young daughters to death in November 2012 will stand trial in September.
The Courier reports (https://bit.ly/19rKiFH ) David Brown is to go on trial Sept. 29 in Thibodaux on three counts of first-degree murder.
The date was set at a status hearing on Monday in front of state District Judge Jerome Barbera III, who will preside over the trial. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Brown is accused of killing Jacquelin Nieves, 29, and her daughters Gabriela, 7, and Izabela, 20 months, on the second floor of their Lockport apartment Nov. 4, 2012, as the husband and father, Carlos Nieves Jr., slept on the floor below.
Detectives believe Brown entered the Nieveses’ bedroom and sexually assaulted Gabriela and her mother before stabbing all three several times.
The bodies were found during a fire at the Nieveses’ apartment. Lafourche Parish deputies said the fire was set to cover up the murders.
Brown was arrested the next day on charges of unauthorized entry and simple battery stemming from a separate incident at a nearby apartment the night of the killings. He was charged with the murders in January.
After Monday’s hearing, First Assistant District Attorney Kristine Russell said there were some delays in the arraignment process last year but the trial is set to move forward. The case was to go to trial March 10.
Brown is due back in court Feb. 18 for a hearing tied to the discovery process, Russell said. It’s likely be the first of many appearances before the trial begins.
Brown, who denies his involvement in the crimes, has pleaded innocent.
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Information from: The Courier, https://www.houmatoday.com
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