DA Warren Montgomery reports that last week a 12-person jury in St. Tammany Parish, after deliberating for 30 minutes, unanimously found 35 YO Christopher James Garretson of Slidell guilty of cruelty to juveniles involving a victim under the age of 8.
Judge Scott Gardner presided over the trial.
In Slidell, in September of 2022, the victim, who was seven years old at the time, was hit in the face repeatedly by the defendant. At trial, in a Children’s Advocacy video interview played for the jury, the victim said that the defendant “did this” to me, as he pointed to his face. The defendant admitted during his interview, that when relatives arrived back at the house that day, they saw the injuries to the victim, secured the victim and then proceeded to beat the defendant up in retaliation. The relatives then sought medical treatment for the victim.
Sentencing is set for June 13, 2023.
