District Attorney Collin Sims announces that on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 18-year-old Keldric Harry of Bogalusa was sentenced to Life in prison for the January 2024 shooting that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy.
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Following a unanimous guilty verdict returned by a Washington Parish jury in February, the Honorable Judge John A. Keller sentenced Harry as follows, noting all three charges as crimes of violence:
- Count 1: Second Degree Murder - Life in Prison at hard labor
- Count 2: Attempted Second Degree Murder - 30 years at hard labor
- Count 3: Attempted Second Degree Murder - 30 years at hard labor
Judge Keller ordered the 30-year sentences to run consecutive to each other, but concurrent with Harry’s life sentence for murder.
The conviction stems from an incident on January 11, 2024, in the parking lot of Bogalusa High School. Evidence presented by Assistant District Attorneys Jay Adair and Gary Tromblay showed that Harry, who was banned from campus at the time, and another young man both fired shots at the victim and two of his friends, fatally striking the victim with several gunshot wounds, as well as shooting one of the survivors in the leg. The victim was alleged to have entered an unlocked vehicle.
One of the critical pieces of evidence introduced at trial included a voice recording captured approximately 12 hours after the murder, in which Harry bragged about the shooting and mimicked the sound of the automatic gunfire. The jury rejected defense counsel's claim that the recording was AI-generated.
During the emotional sentencing hearing, the victim’s mother addressed Harry directly, highlighting his lack of remorse throughout the legal process. "High School games are supposed to be safe...When you took Deryon, you took a special piece from every one of us," she stated. "I watched you and your body language in the trial...you sat there with no remorse. For you to brag about how you murdered him is insane. I want you to suffer for every bullet you put in my son's body...I will never forgive you."
Judge Keller echoed the gravity of the tragedy, lamenting the culture of violence among the youth in the community. "This is a sad, sad situation...children killing children," Judge Keller said. "It just shows you that young men are not placing any value on human life...The defendant was handling weapons like they were toys. Pulling handles on a car is no excuse for shooting bullets. This was a violent, senseless crime...This family will never get their child back."
District Attorney Collin Sims praised the finality of the sentence as a vital message for Washington Parish. "Today’s sentence ensures that a dangerous individual is removed from our streets," DA Sims stated. "There is no justification for 'zippering' a 14-year-old child with a machine gun over a minor property dispute. Our office stands with the victim’s family, and while this life sentence cannot replace their son, it affirms our commitment to hold those who devalue human life to the absolute fullest account of the law."
The co-defendant, Hakheim Young, is currently awaiting trial and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Harry has been remanded to the custody of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office pending transfer to the Louisiana Department of Corrections.
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