NEW ORLEANS — A man has been convicted in the 2018 killing of New Orleans Rapper Young Greatness, whose given name is Theodore Jones. Thursday night a jury unanimously convicted Donald Reaux of the killing, that occurred outside the Waffle House on Elysian Fields Avenue. Reaux will be sentenced February 8th to a mandatory life sentence.
Reaux did not act alone though.
“This case is emblematic this case is emblematic of the crisis that is plaguing the streets of New Orleans specifically adults using this city’s children to commit crimes for them,” Orleans Parish District Attorney, Jason Williams says.
Williams says Reaux enlisted a 15 and a 19-year-old to shoot Jones, orchestrating the killing and driving them to the restaurant. DA Williams is urging kids not to get involved in violent crimes and leaving a message to adults to not involve the kids.
“If someone tries to encourage you to, as they said in this case ‘hit a lick, commit this crime for me because you won’t’ face the same consequences’, number one you will face those consequences, number two we’re coming after you. If you use our children, you will pay dearly just like Mr. Reaux and spend the rest of your life in Angola in a pine box if you get a child to commit your crime, we’re coming after you,” Williams said.
Young Greatness’ mom, Jeannine Rose, is urging parents to keep their children out of the violence, knowing first hand how it can end.
“Please y’all get your children, get your babies because that slow walk to that sad tune I had to take is not a walk you want to take. Get your children, grab a hold of your children because all I have is memories and a tomb you don’t want that,” Rose said. “Get your children, get your children because standing here I don’t feel good, I don’t feel good standing here. Nobody in a million years could tell me I’d be standing here at a press conference for my son. Come on... y’all gotta do better. You can’t keep putting everything off on someone else…. Y’all carried these children for nine months get them before you be carrying them behind the tomb like me. I’m telling y’all get your children.”
The DA says he and NOPD Chief Michelle Woodfork will be implementing new and non-traditional strategies to pursue arrests and turn those arrests into convictions this year, including working to avoid violent offenders getting out of jail on low bails.
“If we just release someone right back out on a low bond that’s not only bad for the community but that’s bad for that individual, if they’re in a cycle of recidivism and recommitting crimes whether that’s car break ins or whether that’s violent crime or domestic violence,” Williams said. “ Woodfork doubled down and tripled down on report writing, making sure information is documenting with real specificity…specificity matters because that’s what the judges are going to be reading when they’re setting bond that’s what a jury will be hearing when a case goes to trial.”
Williams echoes Rose’s message.
“Get your kids before the lights and the sirens do because then it’s too late,” he said.
Rose hopes no one has to go through what she has, as she’s still grieving her son.
“They don’t even realize what they took they didn’t just take him from me and my family, they took him from the community, they took him from children, from his children, they took him from other people’s kids he helped along the way. You don’t even realize what you did you don’t have a clue on what you did you took someone who would’ve have you the shoes off your feet because he wasn’t selfish you didn’t’ have that to do to a kind loving soul,” Rose says.
Williams says the two teenagers will be tried as adults and will be serving “significant time.”