By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – A Maurepas man wanted in connection with the 2008 murder of a Reserve woman following a botched robbery is now in the custody of the St. John Sheriff’s Office.

Calvin Mitchell, 23, was transferred to the St. John Sheriff’s Office Monday from a Georgia prison where he was being held on an unrelated incident from August 2009, said Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office.

“Once he was processed through their system, he waived his extradition rights and that is when we took custody,” Clement said.

Mitchell has been wanted since Dec 30, 2008, in connection with a shooting that claimed the life of Nakesha Nichelle Joseph, 27, of Reserve and injured 36-year-old Ron James of Garyville, Clement said. Mitchell’s accomplice, Jules Robertson, 21, was arrested in February of last year.

According to a Sheriff’s Office report, the two victims were sitting inside a vehicle in the 200 block of East 24th Street when the attempted robbery took place around 12:28 a.m. Dec. 30. James told deputies that he and Joseph were sitting in his car when two armed men approached and yelled, “Give it up!”

The report said that James slammed on the car’s accelerator, but as the car sped off, the alleged robbers opened fire on James’ vehicle. Joseph, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was hit multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene, while James suffered gunshot wounds to the leg and was treated and released from River Parishes Hospital.

Clement said Mitchell was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and contempt of court. A $250,150 bond was set for the attempted murder and contempt of court charges, but Clement said Mitchell would remain detained on the first-degree murder charge, which is a capital offense.