The trial of a man accused of killing two people in Tiger Country ends with a hung jury

BATON ROUGE — The trial of a man accused of killing two people in his Tigerland home in 2021 is over, but families on both sides of the fight say they are leaving the courtroom with no closure.

After a week of evidence and eight hours of jury deliberation, Brian Lavergne's trial ended with a hung jury, leaving him in limbo.

Stephen Sterling III is the defense attorney for Lavergne, 37, who was accused of killing Laquincia Jackson, 26, and Fredrick Hollins, 33, at a home in Tigerland on January 23, 2021. Lavergne and Jackson were together for years before the murder, but according to court documents, Hollins and Jackson were together at the time of her death.

Sterling said although Lavergne was not convicted, the outcome was not necessarily positive.

“Apparently, [Lavergne] “I was hoping for a positive outcome for him and his family,” Sterling said. “That didn’t happen tonight. We respect it.”

The victims, Jackson and Hollins, were shot multiple times in bed. Although there was no conviction Friday night, Ladeisha Woods, also on the defense team, said she was unhappy with the results.

“Everyone on both sides wanted closure today,” Woods said. “It was disappointing to tell them that because we fought hard all week.”

In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that jurors across the country must vote unanimously to convict a defendant, meaning the case remains in limbo until a decision is made on how to proceed.