A St. Landry Parish grand jury has issued new indictments in the April 2022 slayings of a four-year-old child and an Opelousas man.
Three people were indicted that year in connection with the shooting deaths, as well as the wounding of three other children in the incident: Davieontray Breaux, Felton Martin James and Holly Roberts were each indicted on two counts first-degree murder and three counts attempted first-degree murder.
But after the District Attorney Chad Pitre said he planned to seek the death penalty, Breaux's attorneys appealed, saying the capital case should be separated from the attempted murder charges. Appeals courts agreed, and vacated the indictment.
This week, Pitre obtained two new indictments against Breaux: one accusing him of two counts first-degree murder in the slaying of Alton James Thomas and the four-year-old, and a second accusing him of three counts attempted first-degree murder in the injury of the three children.
"The case is now in the posture required by the Supreme Court," District Attorney Chad Pitre said. "With the new indictment, we intend to proceed as planned and seek the death penalty for Mr. Breaux, with trial beginning in this matter mid-2026."
According to a release Pitre sent us at the time of the first indictment, the shooting stemmed from a domestic disturbance earlier the same day. Opelousas Police say Roberts was involved in an argument with her next door neighbor, the mother of the child who was killed. Later that evening, Breaux and James met Roberts at her apartment, and the two men went next door, police allege.
After a verbal exchange, the men allegedly started shooting, and Alton James Thomas was killed, along with the child. Three other children also were injured, police say.
At that time, the district attorney said the investigating officers and his prosecuting team have mental scars related to the crime scene.
