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Security video, suspect's smart phone among new evidence turned over to prosecutors in 2015 murder of BR couple

2 years 8 months 1 week ago Thursday, July 15 2021 Jul 15, 2021 July 15, 2021 10:15 AM July 15, 2021 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - It's been nearly six years since the bodies of Denis and Suzanne Duplantier were found beaten and bound in their truck in Hammond. This week, prosecutors received new evidence that they are combing through, according to sources.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit has learned the evidence was turned over by a Baton Rouge police officer. That officer is the only one who can answer why it wasn't turned over before.

Ernesto Alonso and Frank Garcia are implicated in the murders.

Among the list of new evidence now being turned over to the district attorney's office is neighborhood security video, more than 20 pages of detective case notes, a smart phone belonging to Alonso, and video of Garcia and his wife in Florida. 

Family members called police when they hadn't heard from the couple. When authorities arrived at their home off Highland Road, they found their safe was open and a large amount of money was missing. Investigators quickly found Alonso and Garcia in Florida.

Alonso told a Channel 2 reporter at the time that he was innocent, and he did not kill the couple.

Sources told WBRZ new evidence collected after Alonso and Garcia's arrest is having to be processed. Among the evidence are new recordings prosecutors did not know about that need to be translated.

Two years ago, questions were raised about the slow pace of this case. At the time, defense lawyer Jarrett Ambeau weighed in on the case. He is not representing the men.

"I tell my clients all the time, time is good for you," Ambeau said. "People get disinterested. Witnesses get disinterested. They go away. They move and are difficult to find. All of that works against the state and in favor of the defendant because it's difficult to keep track of people and process during that moment."

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