LAFAYETTE PARISH — A crime bill that expands which offenses can be prosecuted as second-degree murder has been renamed in honor of a fallen officer, Senior Corporal Segus Jolivette.
House Bill 260, now known as the Segus Jolivette Act, was amended during the 2025 regular legislative session to include additional crimes that can now result in second-degree murder charges.
State Rep. Chad Boyer, who supported the renaming, said the amendment is a meaningful step toward honoring Jolivette’s sacrifice.
“It makes me smile because throughout all this heartache, in any way we can honor him, it’s a privilege to be able to do that,” Boyer said.
The legislative update comes nearly one year after Jolivette was killed during a SWAT operation in Jeanerette while attempting to arrest Nyjal Hurst, a wanted suspect.
Back in May, Boyer introduced House Bill 11, a separate proposal aimed at increasing penalties for repeat violent offenders. That bill failed to pass due to disagreements among lawmakers over sentencing guidelines.
“We were having some issues. Some of the DAs and judges had concerns with it,” Boyer said. “We started looking at other options. We wanted to honor the family and his name as quickly as possible, and when we looked at House Bill 260, we felt like it addressed some of our concerns.”
Boyer said while the newly signed law addresses part of the problem, he plans to revisit the issue in the next session.
“We’re gonna continue to work. We know that it didn’t fix all of the issues, our concerns, and what happened. But next session, we’ll go back and take a look at what we can add.”
The bill was originally authored by State Rep. Debbie Villio. It clarifies that individuals can face second-degree murder charges even if they didn’t intend to kill—such as in cases where someone resists arrest with force. It also creates new criminal liability for drug dealers and distributors.
