Interim DA Collin Sims reports that on January 26, 2024, a Washington Parish jury, after deliberating for 20 minutes, found 32 YO Joseph Peoples of Bogalusa, guilty of the murder of Shawn Whiteside.
He was also found guilty of 2 counts of obstruction of justice and 2 counts of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Assistant District Attorneys Jay Adair and Hank Meyer led the prosecution and District Judge Alan Zaunbrecher presided over the trial.
Peoples faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. He is scheduled for sentencing on February 26, 2024. He has three unrelated pending felony cases and several prior felony convictions.
