LAFOURCHE PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A Bayou Blue man could face a life sentence after he was found guilty of murdering a man following an altercation between the two at a bar.
The Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office reported that after a four-day trial, Earl Verdin has been found guilty of the second-degree murder of Chad Daigle.
The crime began at a nearby bar, where the two had gotten into an altercation. Daigle left, and Verdin armed himself before going to Daigle’s property.
Daigle fired a warning shot at Verdin, who then shot back multiple times, including once in his back.
According to the district attorney’s office, Verdin testified that he could have left the property without killing Daigle.
“This was never about determining ‘who did it,’ as the evidence clearly identified Earl Verdin as the perpetrator of Chad Daigle’s murder. We believed going into the trial that the evidence would thwart any self-defense claim, and the jury agreed,” Chief of Violent Crimes Shaun George, who prosecuted the case.
The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. Verdin faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
“The defendant had many opportunities to make better decisions that night, instead he chose to arm himself and trespass on another man’s property while armed. This was a very just verdict,” George said.
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