Slidell Teen Testifies Against Her Third Sexual Assaulter - Jury Finds Him Guilty

District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on May 9, 2025, a St. Tammany Parish jury deliberated 90 minutes before finding 57-year-old Bernard Denham of Slidell guilty of second degree rape. Assistant District Attorneys Casey Allen and Shelby Stoop presented the case to the jury with Judge John Keller presiding over the five-day trial. Detectives Matt Bauer and Ben Ezell with the Slidell Police Department headed the investigation. 

According to testimony from the trial, the teen victim went to Possum Hollow Park in Slidell after arriving home from school on March 27, 2023. While she was at the park, Denham approached her and grabbed her by the wrist. He dragged her into the women’s restroom and forced her into a stall. The victim attempted to push him away but he grabbed her by the neck and punched her in the ribs multiple times. He then proceeded to rape her.

After the rape, Denham fled the scene on a bicycle and the young victim went home crying. The victim’s mother immediately drove the victim to a local hospital, which in turn notified the Slidell Police Department. The victim was treated for injuries and released the following morning.

The victim participated in a forensic interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center’s Hope House in Covington. During her interview, the victim provided a meticulous description of the rapist. When the detectives returned to the park to further investigate the crime scene, they observed Denham ride by on a bicycle. His appearance matched the detailed description provided by the victim. The detectives questioned Denham and he denied being at the park on the date of the assault. A computer check revealed he had an active warrant for an unrelated burglary. He was arrested on the burglary warrant.

Detectives obtained surveillance video from a residence which faces the park. Video footage from the time period of the rape showed Denham riding a bicycle in the area of the park. Detectives generated a six-photo lineup containing photographs of Denham and five similarly looking individuals. When the lineup was presented to the victim, she immediately identified Denham as the perpetrator.

During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from a DNA expert. The expert testified that analysis of swabs taken from the victim’s body confirmed the presence of DNA material consistent with Denham’s DNA profile.

Judge Keller set Denham’s sentencing for July 31, 2025. Second degree rape usually carries a sentence of five to forty years in prison but due to Denham’s status as a repeat offender, he is facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Denham has prior convictions for aggravated burglary, burglary of an inhabited dwelling, simple robbery, simple burglary (4 times), unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, battery on a dating partner, resisting an officer, theft and public intimidation. In 2000, Denham was sentenced as a repeat offender to life in prison on the public intimidation conviction. However, the “Criminal Justice Reform” package passed by the Louisiana State Legislature in 2017 mandated retroactive sentence reductions which resulted in Denham’s original life sentence being reduced to just ten years in prison.

This was the third St. Tammany Parish trial during which this young victim has testified against a sexual assault offender. The three cases were unrelated to each other. The first offender was found guilty of first degree rape eight years ago and is currently serving a life sentence for repeatedly raping the victim when she was under the age seven. The second offender is serving 25 years in prison after being convicted in 2024 for inappropriately touching the victim when she was a pre-teen. He pled guilty in the middle of his trial immediately following the victim’s testimony.

After the guilty verdict in Denham’s trial, District Attorney Collin Sims stated “This courageous young girl took the witness stand at three separate trials and gave detailed testimony about the horrific crimes three different men committed against her. Her determination and resolve led to all three men being held accountable for their predatory conduct. I expect Denham will soon be joining the other two men in serving lengthy prison terms.”