Four Defendants Face Life Imprisonment

St. Tammany and Washington Parishes – Interim District Attorney Collin Sims today lauded the work of five of his seasoned and veteran prosecutors and one prosecutor beginning his prosecutorial career after decades as a law enforcement officer. Last week, these prosecutors collectively and successfully prosecuted a one defendant rape case, a two-defendant rape case, and a one defendant second degree murder case. All three verdicts were returned on Friday, January 26, 2024, and all four defendants will face life imprisonment when sentenced.

Joshua May was found guilty of one count First Degree Rape and one count aggravated crime against nature victim under 13. The case was prosecuted by Luke Lancaster and Casey Allen before Judge Ellen Creel. The defendant will be sentenced to life in prison without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence on the First-Degree Rape charge. Click here for a previous related story

Brandy Seal and Derek Polk were found guilty of one count First Degree Rape of a juvenile under the age of thirteen. The case was prosecuted by Iain Dover and Tiffany Dover before Judge Tara Zeller. The defendant will be sentenced to life in prison without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence on the First-Degree Rape charge. Click here for a previous related story

Joseph Peoples was found guilty as charged of second-degree murder of Shawn Whiteside. He was also found guilty of two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The case was prosecuted by Jay Adair and Hank Meyer. While Mr. Adair has been a prosecutor for over two decades, this was Mr. Meyer’s first jury trial following a twenty plus year career as a law enforcement officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Judge Alan Zaunbrecher presided over the case. The defendant will be sentenced to life in prison without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence on the Second-Degree Murder charge. Click here for previous related stories.

Mr. Sims extolled the effort of his prosecutors, victim witness coordinators and staff, saying that “the hard work and commitment of the entire District Attorney’s Office to serve our community was on display last week when three separate teams comprised primarily of veteran and tenured prosecutors and our exceptional staff worked to ensure convictions in three very serious cases. We are very fortunate to have so many experienced and committed prosecutors in our office.”