NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The family of Linda Frickey, who was killed during a brutal carjacking, recalls having to figure out how to navigate the criminal justice system while in mourning.
More than a year and a half later, they are relieved justice finally prevailed.
The Frickey family credited the Office of District Attorney Jason Williams and a homicide detective with the New Orleans Police Department for much of their persistence and dedication to a case they say wasn’t as cut and dried as they initially imagined.
“They had the compassion and the understanding to walk us through each step of the way,” said Frickey’s sister-in-law Kathy Richard. “The support that poured in from everywhere, we’re just so blessed to have. We had thousands and thousands of condolences from across the country.”
The three teenage girls convicted of attempted manslaughter in the case accepted a plea deal, whereas 18-year-old John Honore didn’t have that option despite writing a letter to the Frickey family a day before his trial.
“The letter did not ring sincere and consistent with his behavior and in words for the months that it took to try this case,” Williams said.
Regarding the widely circulated surveillance video that showed the teens commit the crime, the district attorney’s chief attorney in the homicide division, Matt Derbes, says they weren’t able to identify the defendants purely off the video.
Derbes explained, “Quite frankly, until that DNA and fingerprint evidence came back from the lab, this case was solved by the parents, to some extent, of these defendants who, you know, see the images on the news and say, ‘That’s my son. That’s my daughter.’”
The Frickey family says they honored the commitment they set for themselves and for Linda.
“We’re going to fight,” Richard said. “So, I thank God we were able to keep our promise with the help of the DA system.”
Sentencing for Honore is scheduled for Jan. 12. A second-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence, but because of Honore’s age when he committed the crime, he will be eligible for parole in 25 years.
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