New Orleans realtor Garrett Ward sentenced in fatal beating

A Louisiana real estate agent was sentenced to 30 years in prison for fatally beating a 60-12 months-previous guy for the duration of a drunken, racially billed attack in New Orleans, prosecutors mentioned.

Garrett J. Ward, 30, was convicted in May possibly of manslaughter in the January 2018 brutal attack that led to the death of Arnold Jackson 12 times later on. Witnesses testified all through his six-working day trial past thirty day period that Ward, who is white, made “several racial slurs” toward the black victim, District Attorney Jason Williams mentioned.

“As district legal professional, I am dedicated to holding violent offenders accountable,” Williams said in a assertion to The Article. “In this circumstance, the lack of humanity and respect demonstrated by the defendant as he viciously attacked the sufferer, Mr. Jackson — a 60-calendar year-aged black person — was reprehensible.”

Williams claimed he promised Jackson’s kinfolk he would get justice in the fatal beating, introducing that Monday’s sentencing fulfilled that pledge.

A coroner established Jackson, who endured a damaged jaw and severe bleeding to his mind, died of blunt force accidents pursuing the attack exterior the Pontchartrain Hotel, NOLA.com documented.

Prosecutors accused an intoxicated Ward of attacking Jackson following he had an altercation with his important other at a bar. The authentic estate agent’s protection attorneys insisted he awoke from a drunken stupor and located Jackson armed with a knife though achieving for the cellphone in his pocket, the outlet reported.

A jury rejected Ward’s claim of self-defense after 6 several hours of deliberation. He experienced faced up to 40 decades driving bars. A single of Ward’s lawyers reported he now options to file a motion to appeal the sentence later this 7 days.

“We ended up hoping to get a sentence that was towards the lower end of the zero to 40-year guideline,” attorney Andrew Bevinetto advised NOLA.com. “Not only are we upset with the sentence, but we consider it is extreme, supplied the details all over this case in certain.”

Jackson’s daughter, meanwhile, insisted in a statement previous thirty day period “justice was served” with Ward’s manslaughter conviction.

“These previous four yrs have been quite hard on me,” Kenyada Schnyder explained. “Outside of currently being existing for each individual one court docket date, I skipped out on distinctive times with my father like him going for walks me down the aisle at my wedding and celebrating his birthday or Father’s Day.”