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Still no charges in killings outside Mall of La. one year later; experts explain why case has stalled

1 year 9 months 2 weeks ago Friday, February 24 2023 Feb 24, 2023 February 24, 2023 9:51 PM February 24, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - This Saturday will make one year since a stretch of Bluebonnet Boulevard in front of the Mall of Louisiana became the scene of a shooting that left two teens dead and two other victims seriously injured

But even this long after the crime, no one has been indicted, and the person who police say did the shooting, Demetriyon Grim, is not currently in jail. 

A grand jury chose not to indict Grim on charges including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says that all happened for one reason. 

"The grand jury pretermitted, which means they didn't have enough information to make a decision one way or another," Moore said. 

From an outsider's point of view, this case may seem simple. The shooting happened in broad daylight and left behind a wild crime scene, including a car left riddled with bullet holes. But LSU law professor Ken Levy tells WBRZ some cases aren't that cut and dry. 

"In this case, we see there are exceptions. Sometimes, grand jurors are going to say, 'We're just not convinced,'" Levy explained. 

Moore still hopes to put this case in front of a grand jury again, but he says more information is needed to get an indictment and a conviction. 

"We need sufficient evidence to present to the grand jury just for an indictment, and then the burden of proof is even higher of beyond reasonable doubt, so we need sufficient evidence to go forward," Moore said. 

He also says someone probably knows something that can help prosecutors, but those people just aren't coming forward. 

"People know who did this. They know why they did this, so we need people to come forward and testify," Moore said. 

Moore will wait until he has new evidence to put the case in front of a grand jury again. Until then, he says the case remains active. 

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