NEW ORLEANS — Charged with killing a woman who was delivering food to her parents, two 19-year-olds pleaded guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery charges this week.
Anita Irvin-LeViege, 52, was driving with her dog and delivering groceries to her parents when police said two teenagers shot and killed the woman and her dog with a rifle in an attempted carjacking.
According to NOLA.com, Que'dyn Growe and Demond Thomas, both 19, were scheduled to stand trial for second-degree murder and armed robbery; they instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a 40-year prison sentence for Growe and a 30-year sentence for Thomas.
Que'dyn Growe and Demond Thomas were both either 15 or 16 when the carjacking happened in January 2021. Court records and police records for the two teenagers' provide conflicting ages.
Prosecutors said that the two teenagers then carjacked carjacked another woman at a nearby apartment complex within an hour.
The two teenagers were the first juveniles that District Attorney Jason Williams transferred into the adult court system, breaking a campaign pledge he made vowing to oppose that practice.
"My decision to prosecute this murder and armed robbery by juveniles in criminal court is not taken lightly," Williams said in May 2021. "We refuse to ignore the egregiousness of their actions and we must pursue appropriate accountability."
