THIBODAUX — A Houma man charged with the August 1992 slaying of a Thibodaux priest won't receive prison time if convicted of the crime, a district judge ruled Thursday.
Derrick Odomes, who was 14 when the Rev. Hunter Horgan III was killed, cannot be sentenced if convicted of first-degree murder in the priest's death, Judge John LeBlanc ruled. State law in 1992, the year of Horgan's murder, forbid juveniles convicted of a crime from serving time past their 21st birthday.
“The law was clear, and the judge basically did what he had to do,” said Lynden Burton, Odomes' New Iberia-based defense attorney.
Odomes was arrested Sept. 17, 2007, more than 15 years after he allegedly stabbed Horgan to death inside St. John Episcopal Church's rectory on Jackson Street in Thibodaux. At the time of his arrest, Odomes was 29.
Judge LeBlanc's decision does not mean Odomes, now 31, would necessarily walk free the day a jury renders a verdict in his murder trial, which is set to begin Aug. 23.
Odomes faces an undetermined amount of prison time, if convicted, for felony theft, issuing worthless checks and obscenity — charges unrelated to Horgan's slaying.
Odomes' continuing troubles with the law indicate that he may not have changed direction and made the decision to become a law-abiding citizen since the horrific crime so many years ago. He could still be a dangerous man.
I was not a member of St. John's Church when Fr Horgan was murdered, but the killing stunned the entire town. I give great credit to the members of the church who, by the grace of God and their own strength and determination, continued to move forward in the work of the Lord in the wake of the trauma.
I pray for the family and friends of Hunter Horgan and for the congregation of St John.
I pray for repentance and a change of heart for Derrick Odomes.
The knowledge that Odomes can't serve any prison time for the murder must be very hard on the family and on his friends. I assume he can still, however, be found guilty of that crime. Maybe just knowing he did it and he was convicted out it will have to be sufficient and leave the punishment in God's hands.
ReplyDeleteAmelia, the trial will go on, and if he is found guilty, the conviction will count against him if he gets into further trouble.
ReplyDeleteOdomes was a suspect from the beginning, but since he was a juvenile, the police were prevented from doing certain procedures that they could have done, had Odomes been an adult. It was not until he was arrested again as an adult that DNA tests were done, and Odomes' DNA was found to be a match for the DNA at the crime scene.
Such an extreme and horrific thing for a 14-year-old to do. Does anyone know why (assuming that it was him)? Was it a random killing? Or was it over money, was he trying to rob the priest? ... Or something else?
ReplyDeleteCathy, nothing indicated robbery as a motive. From what I've heard from word of mouth and from the news, and I get the info from the two sources mixed up, the 14 year old was a troubled kid whom Fr Horgan tried to help, but the boy was beyond his help and had been told to stay away from the church grounds. Obviously, he didn't.
ReplyDeleteWell -- all involved are loved by God -- how strange -- may they come to know that. (I have always suspected that being forgiven = purgatory) I pray for healing for all of them including those who kill, those who arrest, those who prosecute, those who mourn. None of those are easy places to be.
ReplyDeleteSusankay, I pray for all concerned, too.
ReplyDeleteHow awful if Fr Horgan tried to help him and that's how he responded.
ReplyDeleteI suspect in terms of justice for the crime that either he will realise what he did, and feel the appropriate remorse and guilt, or, if he cannot feel either, he will probably reoffend, and land behind bars with a lengthy sentence anyway.
The parish hall at St. John, where the murder took place, was blessed, rededicated, and renamed Hunter Horgan Hall.
ReplyDeleteI was a classmate and best friend of Hunter when we were together at seminary. He was one of the ornriest, confrontative type of guys I've ever known, but he made it work because he was also a loving, smart, and caring person who had his roots in ministry with the likes of Terry Holmes and Bill Pregnall at the LSU chaplaincy. I have missed him since learning of his death and I miss him still. May God have mercy on Hunter and his killer both .. which I know Hunter would agree with.
ReplyDeletePeter Winterble
Buenos Aires
Peter, thanks for your commentary. I did not attend St John at the time of Hunter's murder, but I met him several times. I saw only the 'loving, smart, and caring' side, but I expect that a good many of our parishioners who knew Hunter well would agree with your description.
ReplyDeleteDerrick Odomes was found guilty by a jury yesterday, but a judge had previously declared that Odomes cannot be sentenced for the crime because of his age, 14, at the time of the murder. Odomes is sentenced to life in prison because of other crimes.