St. James murder suspects indicted
Published 12:00 am Monday, February 16, 1998
By Leonard Gray / L’Observateur / February 16, 1998
VACHERIE – A St. James Parish grand jury returned first-degree murderindictments this week against Ronald Williams, Glynn Juniors and Daniel Blank.
Williams and Juniors were indicted Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday for the Nov. 17 murder of Albert G. “Butch” Robinson, 43, Gonzales, whoworked at Fleet Boats Inc. in Convent, and the attempted murder of John C.Jackson Jr., 65, the business’s owner.First Assistant District Attorney Thomas Kliebert, who will lead the prosecution, anticipates at least a year before either case comes to trial.
He noted there had been only one earlier capital case in St. James Parishprior to these two cases.
“We’re just going to move forward as quickly as we can,” Kliebert added.
They also face trial in St. John the Baptist Parish for the Dec. 22 murderof JoAnn Edler in LaPlace and the Jan. 6 attempted murders of Dung DangLe and Glen Wright at the In-N-Out Food Store in Reserve.
In St. John Parish, Juniors, 29, is charged with the first-degree murder ofEdler and, in the In-N-Out case, with being a principal to attempted first- degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery.
Williams, 29, is charged with being a principal to the first-degree murder of Edler and, in the In-N-Out case, with attempted first-degree murder, being a principal to attempted first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery.
Also on Tuesday, Daniel J . Blank, 35, added one more first-degree murderindictment to his record.
Blank was indicted by the St. James Parish grand jury and arraignedWednesday for the March 18 murder of Barbara Bourgeois, 58, of Paulina.
The indictment happened only now to permit the St. James Sheriff’s Officeto wrap up everything in their investigation of the case. “There was noneed to rush any,” Kliebert said.
Besides the indictment in the Bourgeois case, Blank is now formally accused of the following: Three counts of first-degree murder in the case of Sam and Loella Arcuri, 76 and 69, of LaPlace on May 9; and the case of Joan Brock, 55, of LaPlace, on May 14.
Two counts of first-degree murder in the cases of Victor Rossi, 41, of St.
Amant on Oct. 27, 1996; and Lillian Phillipe, 71, of Gonzales, on April 9,1997; two counts of attempted first-degree murders of Leonce and Joyce Millet, both 66, of Gonzales; three counts of armed robbery in the Rossi and Millet crimes; three counts of aggravated burglary in the Phillipe and Millet cases, and the Wayne Melancon case in April 1997; and three counts of felony theft.
Blank’s companion Cynthia Bellard, 35, was indicted in Ascension Parish as well on one count of first-degree murder in the Rossi case; two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Millet case; three counts of armed robbery in the Rossi and Millet cases; two counts of aggravated burglary in the Melancon and Millet cases; and three counts of felony theft in the Rossi, Melancon and Millet cases.
Blank remains in custody in St. John Parish. Bellard remains in custody inAscension Parish. Both could face the death penalty, if convicted.
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