DA Warren Montgomery reports that December 9 20 YO Jawaun Jaylin Gaines of Slidell pled and was sentenced by District Judge Alan Zaunbrecher to 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence in a murder investigation.
On May 21, 2021, close to midnight, a shooting occurred at a party on Mike Talley Road in Pearl River.
This shooting claimed the life of 20 YO Nicholas Livingston.
Jawaun Gaines removed the murder weapon from the scene and attempted to persuade another witness to testify falsely. Both of those acts constitute obstruction of justice.
At the sentencing hearing, in a packed courtroom, the State, represented by Assistant District Attorney Amanda Gritten, presented the Court with a Motion for Maximum Sentence supported by testimony from the lead detective, a jail call that had been made by the defendant and presented the Court with multiple emails from members of the community advocating for justice for Nick. Additionally, Nick’s mother, father and step-mother gave compelling victim impact statements in Court. Nick’s mother Jolyn said the defendant may not have pulled the trigger, but he was no different than his friend who did.
This murder is still being prosecuted and two more defendants have trials pending, therefore further details on the incident will be given.
