Detective Gives Court Precise Details Of The Seth Fontenot Investigation
The jury heard detailed testimony this afterrnoon from Lafayette Police Department Detective Larry Theriot, the lead investigator in Seth Fontenot first-degree murder case.
Theriot described specifics about the investigation that ensued on the morning of Feb. 10, 2013, the day that juveniles Austin Rivault, Cole Kelly and William Bellamy were fired upon by Seth Fontenot. For nearly four hours, Theriot was questioned about every aspect of the investigation, from the time that 911 dispatchers notified authorities of gunshot victims arrived at the hospital, to the interrogation process.
During Theriot's initial questioning, Asisstant District Attorney J.N. Prather presented the Beretta 9 mm that was recovered from Fontenot's Chevrolet Avalanche the day of the shooting, along with its extra magazine and ammunition. The detective said that per his interview with Fontenot the day of the shooting, Fontenot said the three shots that he fired were controlled shots that were taken at a distance of six to eight feet while he was aiming for the tailgate of the truck driven by Cole Kelley. To have Theriot determine if he, as a firearm-weilding officer, could accurately hit a similar target at six to eight feet, Prather had a tailgate, similar to the one on the victims' vehicle, brought into the courtroom. Theriot told the jury that he could indeed hit the target at those distances.
Theriot described the neighborhood where the shooting occurred around 1 a.m. in the morning as being well lit, but defense attorney Thomas Guilbeau questioned Theriot's knowledge that the streetlights near 123 Green Meadow Road were actually working, through his cross-examination. Through further questioning, Guilbeau contested that the windows of the victim's vehicle that was shot upon were tinted too dark for Fontenot to adequately view the passengers of the vehicle.
Wanting to portray Fontenot as being remorseful and accommodating, the defense led Theriot to describe Fontenot as being cooperative and seeming emotionally shocked during Theriot's interrogation of the suspect that took place approximately 10 hours after the shooting happened.
Testimony will continue on Friday.