Inside Report for Feb. 7, 2012

W hen Eunice police Detective Ron Whaley takes the stand Tuesday, he’ll likely do so with butterflies in his stomach.

That’s because the last time the detective took the stand — during a Jan. 26 evidentiary hearing for Quinten Ceasar, one of two men accused in the January 2006 killing of an elderly Eunice couple — a state district judge accused the detective of providing a “startling lack of specificity” during his testimony, according to a report by The (Opelousas) Daily World.

Ceasar and Warren “Boo Boo” Gautreaux were both arrested in December on two counts each of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of Youric Courville, 83, and his wife, Mary Ann, 70.

The Daily World reported that Whaley often seemed “confused and disorganized” while responding to questions from Ceasar’s attorney and from the prosecutor.

Whaley testified that Ceasar got cold feet and was outside of the couple’s home when the killings occurred.

After the testimony, 27th Judicial District Judge Donald Hebert ruled there was not enough probable cause for Ceasar’s arrest, and ordered him to be released from jail.

A day after Ceasar was released, Gautreaux’s attorney filed a motion asking for the same type of hearing before the court. The hearing is scheduled Tuesday.

Eunice Police Chief Ronald Dies said last week that his officer may have been “ill-prepared” and possibly confused because the officer believed he was walking into a bond hearing and not a preliminary examination hearing.

Minutes from the 27th Judicial District Court indicate that after the court took up the evidentiary hearing first and ruled in favor of the defendant, the bond hearing was rendered moot.

The preliminary examination hearing allows a judge to weigh the evidence against a defendant to determine whether probable cause exists in the case.

First Assistant District Attorney Frank Trosclair has said the officer knew what type of hearing he was walking into, and that there was no misunderstanding between the two agencies.

“That’s why he brought his entire investigative file with him,” Trosclair told The Advocate last Tuesday.

Whaley will likely get another shot Tuesday when the second suspect, “Boo Boo” Gautreaux, goes before the court for the same type of evidentiary hearing.

If the probable cause affidavit is to be believed, Whaley should have an easier go at convincing the judge to keep Gautreaux in jail.

The affidavit cites four unnamed witnesses who provided police with taped statements alleging Gautreaux confessed to killing the couple.

One witness, who allegedly has been a friend of Gautreaux’s for 19 years, told police that Gautreaux confessed to him on several occasions, each time providing details, motive and the method, the affidavit says.

Another of Gautreaux’s alleged, longtime friends told police that Gautreaux said drugs made him kill the couple, according to the affidavit.

And yet another witness told police that Gautreaux confessed he had to kill the couple because they woke up and recognized him, the affidavit says.

The affidavit says police also have other witnesses who allege they were either asked to participate in the burglary or overheard Gautreaux and Ceasar planning the burglary.

Another witness allegedly told police that Gautreaux and Ceasar were seen walking toward the victims’ home at a “fast pace and in a panic,” the affidavit says.

Trosclair said officers can testify on the hearsay evidence that served as the basis for the arrest warrant.

He declined to speculate how his office might handle the upcoming hearing. Trosclair also declined to discuss whether his office plans to bring the allegations against Ceasar before a grand jury.

Jason Brown covers police news and courts for the Acadiana bureau. He can be reached at [e-mail].