State Of Louisiana v. Kamron Kajon Jacquot, 392 So.3d 663

Kamron Kajon Jacquot was indicted in Louisiana for first degree murder and attempted first degree murder stemming from a shooting incident at a New Year’s Eve party on December 31, 2020.
The incident began with an altercation at the party between Jacquot and Eric Thibodaux, both of whom had romantic connections to a woman at the party, escalating to a fight in which Jacquot was outnumbered.
As Thibodaux and Matthew Badeaux, another partygoer, walked away from the party after the altercation, Jacquot pursued them and opened fire from behind, killing Thibodaux and injuring Badeaux.
Multiple eyewitnesses identified Jacquot as the shooter, and bodycam/video evidence and forensic testimony corroborated the sequence of events, including that most shots were fired from behind.
A jury convicted Jacquot of second degree murder (of Thibodaux) and attempted manslaughter (of Badeaux). He appealed, challenging only the murder conviction, arguing self-defense or, alternatively, that the crime should be reduced to manslaughter due to “sudden passion”.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether evidence was sufficient for murder	State proved murder, not self-def.	Jacquot acted in self-defense or in sudden passion.	Evidence sufficient; self-defense rejected.
Whether killing was in self-defense	Jacquot was aggressor; no danger	He reasonably believed he was in imminent danger.	Jacquot not facing imminent danger; not justified.
Whether crime should be reduced to manslaughter	No sufficient provocation	Provoked; acted in heat of blood/sudden passion.	No adequate provocation; jury finding upheld.
Whether inconsistent verdicts required reduction	Compromise verdicts allowed	Inconsistent verdicts require reduction to manslaughter.	Compromise verdicts allowed; no reduction.

Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979) (articulates the federal standard for reviewing sufficiency of criminal evidence).
State v. Lawson, 885 So. 2d 618 (La. App. 5 Cir. 2004) (sentence to Department of Corrections is at hard labor by law).
State v. Cousan, 684 So. 2d 382 (La. 1996) (specific intent can be formed instantly and inferred from shooting).
State ex rel. Ellaire v. Blackburn, 424 So. 2d 246 (La. 1982) (judicial tolerance for inconsistent jury verdicts; compromise verdicts permitted).
State v. Calloway, 1 So. 3d 417 (La. 2009) (appellate courts should not substitute their judgment for that of the jury on credibility/evidence).