Feb. 23, 2004
Kristy DeRouen, 19, helped teach children at the family-run Gateway Christian School in St. Martinville. She was planning to study to become a teacher before she was shot by ex-boyfriend Alan Ledet, 41, a reserve city police officer. He later killed himself.
April 8, 2004
Alicia Isaac, 20, was getting ready to move back in with her mother and start nursing school before she was killed at her Lafayette apartment. Her ex-boyfriend, Joseph Davis Jr., 21, shot her and her cousin, Ronald Fils, before killing himself at East Bayou Baptist Church.
May 15, 2004
Angelle Nini, 37, a homemaker, was found not breathing by her 10-year-old son at her Scott home. An autopsy revealed internal blunt trauma, according to the Sheriff's Office. Her husband, Craig Morvant, 50, was charged with manslaughter.
May 23, 2004
Debra Taylor, 43, was found dead in the couple's New Iberia home. Her husband, Daniel Taylor, 40, was convicted of second-degree murder in her death.
July 4, 2004
Dwana Marie Benoit, 21, was raising an 8-month-old child when she was killed in the parking lot of the Bon Ami Mobile Park in Lawtell. The child's father, Milton Stanley Journet, 33, shot her twice before he committed suicide.
Dec. 30, 2004
Sherry Gage, 32, of New Iberia, was strangled to death in her home. The suspect, Ronald L. Bryant, 34, had met her on the Internet the month before and moved to her house, the Sheriff's Office said.
Jan. 26, 2005
Mary Beth Clavelle, 39, was stabbed to death at her Jeanerette home. Her ex-husband, Gregory Clavelle, is charged with second-degree murder. He drove his car into Lake Dauterive where he was arrested.
March 2, 2005
Jennifer Herring, 30, was raising four children at the home she owned on the outskirts of Scott when she was killed at Microtel Inn & Suites, where she worked as a clerk, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, Francis Vallery Jr.
Article Sections
- The Days After
- Fewer Than Half of Accused Abusers Convicted in a Year
- Lafayette Among Top 5 Parishes for Protective Orders
- Caseloads Keep Courts Busy
- Prosecutors Caught Between Victims and Duty
- Finding a Way to Hope Again
- Father's Grief Shaded by Questions
- Concern Doesn't End With Shift
- Doctor Sees the Cases That Aren't Always Counted
- Ending the Cycle of Violence, One Abuser at a Time
- United Front Against Violence Fraying, Program Founders Say
- A Year in Domestic Violence
- Ouachita Putting Aid for Victims Under One Roof
- Resources, Training Hinder Law Enforcement Response Locally
- Opinion: Let's Start a Serious Dialogue for the Families
- Opinion: Domestic Violence is a Real Event That Occurs Every Day
- Stories That Will Never Be Told
- About this Section
- 2006 Dart Award Final Judges
Jason Brown
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Jason Brown, 28, began his career as an intern at The Daily Advertiser in 2004 and was promoted to a full-time night cops position shortly afterward.
Since then, Brown has worked as a general assignment reporter focusing on public safety and environmental issues.
Marsha Sills
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Marsha Sills is a staff reporter at The Daily Advertiser. Sills started her career at the newspaper in late 2001 as a night cops reporter and covered the unfolding investigation of the 2002 murder of a local woman whose death was linked to serial killer Derrick Todd Lee.
For the past two years, Sills has covered higher education. Most recently, health-care issues have been added to her beat coverage. During Hurricane Rita, Sills reported from Lake Charles, La., which was hit hard by the storm.
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Tragedies & Journalists
A 40-page guide to help journalists, photojournalists and editors report on violence while protecting both victims and themselves.
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When children are victims of violence, journalists have a responsibility to report the truth with compassion and sensitivity.