Pearl River Man Gets 65 Yrs. For Killing Girlfriend & Kidnapping Son

District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Jonathon David Talley, age 40 from Pearl River, Louisiana (in previous press released Talley was reported to be from Bogalusa), pleaded guilty in front of District Judge Scott Gardner on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. The plea was approved by the victim’s family. Talley pled guilty to manslaughter, second degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was billed as a multiple offender and sentenced to 65 years for manslaughter, 65 years for second-degree kidnapping and 40 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

In July of 2016, the defendant shot and killed his girlfriend. After killing the victim, the defendant kidnapped their then-three-year-old child and fled to Mississippi where he was ultimately apprehended.

This case was first tried in 2018 and Talley was found guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. However, the murder and kidnapping were non-unanimous verdicts and those two counts were remanded to the District Court for a new trial pursuant to the United States Supreme Court ruling in Ramos v. Louisiana.

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The plea was designed to give an effective life sentence to the defendant, to spare the victim’s now 7-year-old son from testifying against his father for a second time, and to provide finality and closure to the victim’s family. The mother of the victim provided a moving impact statement prior to sentence being imposed; she is now raising her grandson.

Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Chkautovich prosecuted the case. The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the victim’s family for their cooperation, participation, and support through during the five years that this case has been pending. Detective Matthew Rowley of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office spearheaded the investigation of this case.

Jonathan Talley Gets Life for Murder and Kidnapping

District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Jonathan Talley (37) of Bogalusa was sentenced Tuesday (May 29, 2018) to life in prison in the second degree murder of Aimee Kirst (33), his former girlfriend, the mother of his child, in Pearl River on June 30, 2016.
District Judge Scott Gardner also sentenced Talley to 20 years for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and was sentenced to 40 years for second degree kidnapping for fleeing the murder scene with his 3-year-old son in violation of a protective order that required him to stay away from the boy and his mother. All of these charges were without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension.
A St. Tammany Parish jury found Talley guilty of all three charges on May 11, 2018 after a weeklong trial. Assistant District Attorneys Casey Dieck and Jay Adair had argued in trial that an enraged Talley went to Kirst’s Pearl River home with the intention to kill her and then shot her in the back of the head as she tried to hide in their son’s bedroom. The couple’s then 3-year-old son, witnessed the shooting. Talley kidnapped the child when he fled the scene.
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Bogalusa Man Guilty of Murdering His Son's Mother

Son wished he could put on his Spiderman costume and punch his dad
District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that on Friday (May 11, 2018) Jonathan D. Talley (37) of Bogalusa was found guilty of the second degree murder of Aimie Kirst (33), his former girlfriend and mother of his child, in Pearl River on June 30, 2016 . Talley also was found guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and second degree kidnapping for fleeing the murder scene with his 3-year-old son in violation of a protective order that required him to stay away from the boy and his mother. Talley faces a mandatory life sentence when sentenced May 29, 2018.
The jury deliberated just over three hours, agreeing with the prosecution that Talley shot Kirst in the back of the head as she tried to hide in their son's bedroom at her home.The child described in an interview that he heard his father threaten to shoot his mom in the head, hearing the loud gunshot, watching his mother bleed to death, and wishing he could put on his Spiderman costume and punch his dad. The boy said his dad shot his mom because she had been “aggravating him all day.”
After the murder, Talley fled the scene in Kirst’s car and drove with his son to Lucedale, Mississippi, where Talley’s mother lived. Talley admitted to his mother and stepfather that he had shot Kirst, and they called authorities.Talley claimed the gun went off accidentally as he tried to snatch open the door to the child’s bedroom to follow Kirst.
After the verdict was announced, members of Kirst’s family embraced Talley’s family members, and they wept and comforted each other.

Jury Selection Begins in Murder Trial of Bogalusa Man

Source: Kim Chatelain | nola.com

Jury selection began today (May 7, 2018) in the trial of Jonathan Talley (37) of Bogalusa who is
accused of killing Aimee Kirst (33), his estranged girlfriend, near Pearl River and kidnapping their 3-year-old son on July 1, 2016.
The trial before state Judge Scott Gardner of the 22nd Judicial District Court in Covington is expected to last at least one week.
St. Tammany Parish deputies found Kirst dead of a gunshot wound to the head in her home on Ed Yates Road north of Pearl River. Talley was taken into custody in George County, Miss., after going to his mother and stepfather's home in Lucedale and telling them he shot Kirst, authorities said at the time.
The suspect is also accused of kidnapping the couple's child.
Kirst had obtained a protective order against Talley that was still active at the time of the shooting. The order gave her temporary custody of the couple's son and ordered Talley not to interfere, prosecutors have said.