Busted In Acadiana

For many of you new to the world of legal battles, the more publicity a case gets, the more challenging it becomes to try the case locally.

Lafayette District Attorney Mike Harson’s office has asked a judge to impose a gag order on all parties in the Seth Fontenot case, according to KATC.

In a motion filed Monday, prosecutors ask Judge Kristian Earles to stop counsel, possible witnesses, and law enforcement officials who “either will or might testify at the trial” from talking publicly about the case.

The prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Mark Garber, asked for the gag order after Fontenot’s attorney, Thomas Guilbeau, accused the shooting victims of criminal activity when he spoke to a Lafayette TV station.

In an interview with KATC the day Fontenot bonded out, Guilbeau says, “They broke in and entered a home stealing beer that night, that they were intoxicated that night and taken someone’s car unlawfully.”

Prosecutors say those statements were “misstatements of the known facts” of the case and could taint the jury pool.

Prosecutors also say further comment from the defense could lead to the families of the victims to speak out publicly about the case.