Blurgle
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The DA withdrew the case last September. It seems that Heymon was the tipster, but that he's made so many false allegations against Laird's family in the past that he's unreliable.
DA’s Office dismisses murder, rape and kidnapping charges against Leo Laird
DA’s Office dismisses murder, rape and kidnapping charges against Leo Laird
Credibility of case’s only witness called into question in 1980 cold case
Brooke Buford
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - There has been a major development in the future of a cold case homicide that the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office made an arrest in back in August 2019.
The District Attorney’s Office has decided to dismiss a first degree murder, first degree rape and aggravated kidnapping charge against Leo Laird, 66, of Oakdale. Laird had been charged with the 1980 murder of 18-year-old Donna Gayle Brazell.
Laird became a suspect in Brazell’s death in roughly 2014 when an inmate named Gary Haymon came forward looking to give information on the case in exchange for a prison transfer.
Haymon also had a history of providing false testimony against Laird’s family in unrelated cases.
Laird’s attorney, George Higgins, called into question the credibility of Haymon, the case’s only witness.
Prosecutors also faced an uphill battle when it was revealed last month that a box of documents related to the case were misfiled by the sheriff’s office.
Statement of Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bowman Regarding the Dismissal of the Murder Case Against Leo Laird:
In criminal cases time is never on the side of the prosecutor. At trial, the District Attorney’s Office must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. However, with the passage of time, witnesses disappear, memories fade, and leads evaporate. These limitations are never more acute than in the prosecution of a cold case. The case against Leo Laird for the murder of Donna Gayle Brazzell is more than 40 years old, there is no physical evidence other than the victim’s remains, and the coroner cannot identify a cause of death.
The District Attorney’s Office was always aware of the uphill battle we faced in the prosecution of Leo Laird as an essential element of the case against the defendant was based on the statement of a single witness – a co-conspirator. The District Attorney’s Office recently received new evidence that raised serious questions regarding the credibility of that witness. That evidence indicates that he has not only provided false testimony in an unrelated case against members of the defendant’s family in the past, but also that he was committed to the state psychiatric hospital within a few years of Ms. Brazzell’s death. As such, we can no longer prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the state has dismissed the charges against the defendant.
The recent conviction of a defendant in a 30-year old double homicide as well as the indictment of a defendant in a more than decade-and-a-half old murder case should leave this community with no doubt that we are not afraid to pursue justice in cold cases.
The District Attorney’s Office thanks the victim’s family for their patience and understanding in this matter.
DA’s Office dismisses murder, rape and kidnapping charges against Leo Laird
DA’s Office dismisses murder, rape and kidnapping charges against Leo Laird
Credibility of case’s only witness called into question in 1980 cold case
Brooke Buford
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - There has been a major development in the future of a cold case homicide that the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office made an arrest in back in August 2019.
The District Attorney’s Office has decided to dismiss a first degree murder, first degree rape and aggravated kidnapping charge against Leo Laird, 66, of Oakdale. Laird had been charged with the 1980 murder of 18-year-old Donna Gayle Brazell.
Laird became a suspect in Brazell’s death in roughly 2014 when an inmate named Gary Haymon came forward looking to give information on the case in exchange for a prison transfer.
Haymon also had a history of providing false testimony against Laird’s family in unrelated cases.
Laird’s attorney, George Higgins, called into question the credibility of Haymon, the case’s only witness.
Prosecutors also faced an uphill battle when it was revealed last month that a box of documents related to the case were misfiled by the sheriff’s office.
Statement of Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bowman Regarding the Dismissal of the Murder Case Against Leo Laird:
In criminal cases time is never on the side of the prosecutor. At trial, the District Attorney’s Office must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. However, with the passage of time, witnesses disappear, memories fade, and leads evaporate. These limitations are never more acute than in the prosecution of a cold case. The case against Leo Laird for the murder of Donna Gayle Brazzell is more than 40 years old, there is no physical evidence other than the victim’s remains, and the coroner cannot identify a cause of death.
The District Attorney’s Office was always aware of the uphill battle we faced in the prosecution of Leo Laird as an essential element of the case against the defendant was based on the statement of a single witness – a co-conspirator. The District Attorney’s Office recently received new evidence that raised serious questions regarding the credibility of that witness. That evidence indicates that he has not only provided false testimony in an unrelated case against members of the defendant’s family in the past, but also that he was committed to the state psychiatric hospital within a few years of Ms. Brazzell’s death. As such, we can no longer prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the state has dismissed the charges against the defendant.
The recent conviction of a defendant in a 30-year old double homicide as well as the indictment of a defendant in a more than decade-and-a-half old murder case should leave this community with no doubt that we are not afraid to pursue justice in cold cases.
The District Attorney’s Office thanks the victim’s family for their patience and understanding in this matter.
