ASCENSION PARISH, La. (BRPROUD) — A Prairieville man faces life behind bars after being found guilty in a deadly 2016 shooting.
A jury found Joshua Stephens, 29, guilty of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and aggravated criminal damage to property, according to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
On March 25, 2016, Dewayne Stephens, 33, of Prairieville, died at a hospital from gunshot wounds sustained around Lee Stevens Road. At the time of the shooting, witnesses were interviewed, and “detectives learned that a Lincoln Town Car occupied by three male subjects pulled down the street before two subjects being armed with firearms exited the vehicle,” according to the DA’s office.
According to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, “at least 40 rounds of ammunition struck the home where two adults and two children were inside.”
Joshua Stephens, Caleb Carter, 24, of Prairieville, and Marcus Harris, 29, of Baton Rouge, were in the vehicle. Joshua Stephens and Harris had weapons, and both were said to have shot at Dewayne Stephens. Carter was accused of giving ammunition to the shooters. All three men were booked into the Ascension Parish Jail at the time.
Carter received a 10-year sentence with credit for time served after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
When it was time for his trial, Harris reportedly did not show up and was later found in Dallas, Texas. The Baton Rouge man is awaiting extradition from a Texas jail.
Joshua Stephens is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The charge of second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence.
