A Baton Rouge judge rejected Monday a proposed plea deal for a man accused of firing into a crowd during a homecoming party near Southern University's campus, wounding 11 people.
Jaicedric Albert Isaac Williams, 24, was slated to plead guilty to five counts of accessory after the fact to attempted murder in exchange for five years in prison, his attorney said. But District Judge Brad Myers instead set an Aug. 28 date for Williams to be tried on the original charges, which could lead to decades in prison: 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, handling of machine guns, possession of a stolen firearm and illegal use of a gun during a crime of violence.
“I’ll be straight up with you, I think the proposal that they have made to me is unnecessarily lenient,” he said as members of Williams’ family sat in the courtroom.
Myers said he also refused the plea, in part, because Williams’ attorney, Ron Haley, convinced him that the defendant has a “valid defense” to mount at trial.
“The charge that they’re proposing you plead guilty to, I’m not sure you’re actually guilty of,” the judge said. “They’ve made an offer for something that I don’t know — I don’t think you may be guilty of. So I’m not going to accept a plea under those circumstances.”
Williams was identified as a possible gunman who opened fire when a fight broke out at the Kappa Alpha Psi frat house on Harding Boulevard early the morning of Oct. 22, 2022.
Investigators estimated as many as 1,000 people were at or near the frat house when the fight broke out shortly before 2 a.m. as Kappa members did their signature line dance through the party.
Williams and members of his entourage took umbrage when members of the fraternity bumped into them and other party-goers, and Williams pulled out a gun and fired into the crowd, Baton Rouge detectives said.
Attorneys negotiated the idea of Williams pleading guilty to five counts of accessory after the fact to attempted murder in exchange for five years, his attorney said Monday. Haley and prosecutors met with Myers in his chambers to discuss the potential plea, after which the judge returned to the bench and rejected the negotiated settlement.
"I think the proposal that they have made to me, and want me to agree to is unnecessarily lenient. And I won't agree to what they have proposed," Myers said.
Myers accepted plea deals for two other men indicted in connection with the shooting. Miles Eric Moss, 26, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to a felony count of accessory after the fact to attempted first-degree murder on Oct. 18. Daryl Eric Stansberry, 29, pleaded guilty Feb. 15 to criminal conspiracy to attempted first-degree murder and Judge Myers gave him five years in prison plus three years of probation.