Jury convicts Ascension Parish man in fatal Baton Rouge armed robbery gone bad – The Advocate

A 20-year-old Prairieville man was unanimously convicted Thursday of armed robbery with a firearm in the 2013 drug-related shooting death of a man in his Baton Rouge apartment.

An East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor had earlier in the day called Avery Gene Honea a member of a "posse" that orchestrated a "pretend drug deal" in hopes of robbing Jared Christopher Vincent, 22, of his marijuana and money on Dec. 11, 2013.

State District Judge Mike Erwin will sentence Honea on June 15. He faces a sentence of 15 to 99 years in prison.

Honea is one of six Ascension Parish men who were charged following Vincent's killing inside his Ridge Pecan Drive apartment just south of Burbank Drive between Bluebonnet Boulevard and Gardere Lane.

One of those men, Demarcus Daniel James, 23, of Prairieville, was convicted in December of second-degree murder and sentenced in February to life in prison. James, who was shot several times inside Vincent's apartment, was one of Vincent's customers, prosecutors said.

A 23-year-old Ascension Parish man was convicted Friday in the 2013 drug-related shooting de

Another Prairieville man, Aaron Hargrove, 21, pleaded guilty in November to armed robbery and attempted second-degree murder and was sentenced to 27 years behind bars. Vincent's roommate was shot during the incident but survived.

Prosecutor Dana Cummings argued Thursday in her closing argument at Honea's trial that James, Hargrove, Honea and two 21-year-old Gonzales men -- Ivan Wess Graham and Bryton James Montelaro -- did not intend for Vincent to die when they decided to go rob him of his marijuana and cash, but he died nonetheless.

One of six Ascension Parish men chargedin the 2013 drug-related killing of a man in Baton R

"This group had a very specific mission in mind," Cummings said, referring to the group as a "posse." "Everybody planned this together. Clearly, an armed robbery." Honea played an active role, she added.

Honea's attorney, Carson Marcantel, argued that if armed robbery was the motive, why did Vincent have $550 in his pocket, and why did police find roughly 700 grams of marijuana in the apartment and another $2,006 upstairs.

"Something happened. We're never going to know," he told the jury, suggesting that an argument may have broken out about money.

Jared Christopher Vincent was a marijuana dealer but he didn't deserve to be shot to death i

Graham, who is Honea's cousin, testified against James and Honea and pleaded guilty Thursday to an accessory charge in return for a five-year prison term. Montelaro pleaded guilty earlier this year to drug possession in exchange for a five-year sentence.

James went into Vincent's apartment alone, and Hargrove and Honea stood watch outside while Graham and Montelaro waited inside a truck, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office has said. After hearing gunshots ring out inside the apartment, Hargrove and Honea fired shots at Vincent's fleeing roommate, hitting him in the back, the Sheriff's Office said.

A sixth man, Patrick Anderson, 23, of Prairieville, pleaded guilty last month to an obstruction charge and will be sentenced next month.

Follow Joe Gyan Jr. on Twitter, @JoeGyanJr.

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Jury convicts Ascension Parish man in fatal Baton Rouge armed robbery gone bad - The Advocate