JORI LIRETTE - 7 yo/ Wheelchair-bound w/ CP - Thibodaux (W of New Orleans) LA

Thibodaux cops have identified a suspect in the
murder of a seven-year-old boy, whose dismembered body was found in a
garbage bag.


Authorities say they have arrested Jeremiah Wright (above,) the live-in boyfriend of the victim's mother.

The Thibodaux Daily Comet reports that
a passing motorist saw the boy's head near the highway and called 911.
Arriving officers found the head, along with a nearby garbage bag that
contained the victim's dismembered parts.

Police have identified the victim as Jori Lirette, a little boy who suffered from cerebral palsy and was wheelchair-bound.

Authorities say the child lived in the area around West Seventh Street and Church Street in Thibodaux.

According to the Comet report, cops were called to the residence last
month as the boy's mother and the suspect were arguing over money.

http://www.wwl.com/Police--Man-murdered-and-dismembered-disabled-chil/10625967

A 30-year-old Thibodaux man is charged with killing his girlfriend's
7-year-old son, who was found decapitated on the side of the street
today.
Jeremiah Lee Wright, 414 W. 7th St., is charged with
first-degree murder.




The child, identified as Jori Lirette, was found on
the street at about 12:15 p.m. outside the house at 414 W. 7th St.,
where he lived with Wright and his mother.
Wright is Lirette's
mother's live-in boyfriend and not the boy's father, police said.
Lirette had cerebral palsy and was wheelchair-bound, police said.
Wright
allegedly confessed to detectives and has so far cooperated with the
investigation. He will be transported to the Lafourche Parish jail. Bond
has been set at $5 million.
A passing driver spotted the boy's
head on the side of the road in front of the house shortly after noon
today. The body, authorities said, was in a white garbage bag nearby.
It is unclear when the decapitation took place, police said. The alleged act was done in the home's kitchen over the sink.
The sink is being removed and sent to the State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge, authorities said.
Officers were called to the house last month, when Wright and the boy's mother were allegedly arguing over money, police said.
If convicted, Wright faces mandatory life in prison and is eligible for the death penalty.
Lirette
was a second-grader at South Thibodaux Elementary School, authorities
said. His autopsy will be done Monday at the Jefferson Parish Coroner's
Office.
This is the first homicide investigation in the Thibodaux city limits since 2008.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20110814/HURBLOG/110819724?Title=7-year-old-boy-found-dead-homicide-suspected

A Louisiana man told investigators he decapitated his disabled
7-year-old son because he had grown tired of caring for the boy, who had
cerebral palsy and heart problems, needed a feeding tube and used a
wheelchair, police said.
Police Chief Scott Silverii said Monday that Jeremiah Lee Wright,
30, of Thibodaux waived his right to an attorney and confessed to
killing Jori Lirette within a half-hour of being brought to the police
station Sunday. Wright was booked with first-degree murder and held in
lieu of $5 million bond. Detective Ricky Ross, a department spokesman,
said Wright did not have an attorney.
Silverii said the
boy's feet and one hand also were cut off, recovered in several white
plastic garbage bags. A preliminary autopsy indicated Jori also had been
bludgeoned, he said. His head was left by the side of the road so the
child's mother, 27-year-old Jesslyn Lirette, would see it when she came
home, the chief said.
Wright's only explanation for doing so was "just that he wanted her to feel stupid when she saw the head," Silverii said.
The killing was the first since 2008 in Thibodaux, a city of about 14,500 people.
Silverii said the boy apparently was decapitated over the kitchen
sink, which was sent to the Louisiana State Police crime lab along with
a box of tools found nearby. Wright told investigators he began killing
the boy about 30 minutes after Lirette had left Sunday to repair her
pickup truck so she could take Jori to a doctor Tuesday.

Police had been called to the house last month when the couple had an
argument - possibly about money - though neither person brought charges,
Ross said. The police chief said Wright had been arrested a few times
previously, though he was never charged with violent crimes. Wright
served 10 days for theft in 2005.
Lirette told The Daily
Comet of Thibodaux that she and Wright had been together for 10 years,
but that she had planned for some time to leave him.
"I didn't get out fast enough," she said.
Mark Chatagnier, a friend of Wright's, told the newspaper Wright
was unemployed and that Lirette often left him to care for Jori, even
when she was not working.
"She would take off and totally expect Jerry to do everything," Chatagnier said.
Lirette denied that. She told the newspaper she cared for another
disabled person to pay household bills and was still around to care for
her son, who had been born three months premature, could say only a few
words and weighed no more than 50 pounds when he died.
"He
was my star. No matter what people think or say, he was always top
priority in my life," Lirette said through tears during a news
conference Monday afternoon. "I've done everything I can for him."
When Lirette returned from fixing the truck, she found her home blocked by police tape.
When she identified herself, Silverii had a captain and Ross, who
was a minister for 12 years and remains a lay pastor, tell her what
happened.
"These are experienced men. They came out of there in tears. Just absolutely in tears," Silverii said.
Grief counselors from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office also spent time with her, he said.
South Thibodaux Elementary School, where Jori was a
second-grader, was "a very somber place" Monday, said Floyd Benoit,
spokesman for the Lafourche Parish school system. Counselors were on
hand there and at other schools where people knew Jori, he said.
The school has 560 students, including 84 second-graders and 18 in special education across all grades, he said.
Jori had attended South Thibodaux since pre-kindergarten, principal Diane Smith said.
"Everyone loved him. Even though he could not express in words his feelings to us, he did it with his smile," she said.
Lirette ended her statement at the news conference with a message to her son:
"In Heaven I believe you're a beautiful star and you will always
shine bright inside my heart, inside everybody's heart. If I could go
back and change yesterday, I would. But I can't.
"You will be missed and loved by everyone and we will pray every day in your honor. Love you, Mom."


http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/national_world&id=8308934

First appearance for suspect in boy's decapitation

By the CNN Wire Staff
August 16, 2011 4:01 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Jeremiah Lee Wright entered no plea during Tuesday's court appearance
  
• He is accused of killing and decapitating his 7-year-old, handicapped son
  
• Prosecutors have until December to bring formal charges, his lawyer says
  

(CNN) -- A father accused of decapitating his 7-year-old disabled son made
his first appearance in court Tuesday without entering a plea, his newly
appointed lawyer said.

Police say Jeremiah Lee Wright has
admitted killing 7-year-old Jori Liritte, who had cerebral palsy and was
unable to speak or feed himself, and intentionally leaving the boy's
head where his mother would find it. The 30-year-old suspect appeared
before a judge in Lafourche Parish, attorney Kerry Cuccia said.

Judge Bruce Simpson set a September 16 arraignment date, and prosecutors have
until December to bring formal charges against Wright, Cuccia said.

Cuccia,va lawyer with the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana, was
named to defend Wright during the hearing and had not had a chance to
discuss the case with his client, he said. Asked about the accusations
against Wright, he said, "The only thing I know of the allegations is
what I read in the press."

Though a capital defense lawyer, Cuccia said it was "too early to tell" whether Wright would face a death-penalty prosecution.

"Thevone thing I am confident of is that the Lafourche Parish district
attorney will look at all the evidence before he determines how to
proceed," Cuccia said.

A volunteer firefighter spotted Jori's
head by the side of a city street in Thibodaux, about 65 miles southwest
of New Orleans, on Sunday, police said. Wright initially tried to tell
police the head was from a CPR dummy but eventually admitted to
investigators that he had killed the boy, they said.

"During the interview, Wright said he was taking care of (the child) for so many
years, and he just started to look at him as no longer his son, just an
inanimate object," Thibodaux Police Chief Scott Silverii said. "He and
the child's mother had some issues. And he purposely put the child's
head in a position for her to see it."

Silverii said police had responded to at least one other recent call at the house, a domestic argument over money.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-16/justice/louisiana.child.killing_1_disabled-son-volunteer-firefighter-first-appearance?_s=PM:CRIME

THIBODAUX, La. -- Less than a week after a special needs boy was
brutally murdered, allegedly by his father in Thibodaux, strangers are
stepping up to help.

"My sister kept telling me, go back Stephanie! Go back, it's a lot
bigger," said Thibodaux resident Stephanie Samanie, who stopped by a
still growing memorial for Jori Lirette.

Thibodaux police say Jori's father, 30-year-old Jeremiah Wright,
decapitated and then dismembered the boy's body over the kitchen sink on
Sunday. Wright allegedly left the evidence outside on the sidewalk for a
passerby to find.

Since then young and old, even strangers, continue to stop outside
Jori's house to leave stuffed animals, notes, candles, and balloons to
show their respect.

"Even my kids are like, wow! The whole community came together and
got all this. It's just a close community," said Stephanie Samanie, who
stopped by the memorial for the first time Thursday afternoon.

"My kids did go to school with him. My daughter remembers him at
school," said Samanie, who has been forced to talk to her kids about the
gruesome crime.

"I don't know Jori or his mother, but my heart does go out to
everyone who knew him," said Amy Boudreaux while sitting inside her
Thibodaux home, reading a facebook comment.

"It's just a crime," Boudreaux said. "How can someone do this to a
defenseless child with cerebral palsy. He couldn't defend himself."

With three kids of her own, including one with special needs, Jori's
murder hit close to home for Boudreaux, who created "The Remembering
Little Jori Lirette" Facebook group.

"I'm hoping that this page spreads to the world that we have to protect our little ones," said Boudreaux.

The brutal crime has sparked a wave of Facebook memorial pages in honor of the little boy taken too soon.

A memorial and social networking websites aren't the only way people are showing their support.

"My heart goes out to them, to the family, my heart goes out to
everyone who is affected. I don't even know the child," said David
Breaux.

The former EMT has seen it all and couldn't help but think about the
emergency responders that showed up to the crime scene on Sunday.

"We see stuff like that everyday, but when it's that bad, there are no words to describe it," added Breaux.

The details of Jori's death moved the Houma native to take action.

"The Zephyrs Baseball League said they'd play a game for Jori," said
Breaux, who has been organizing the fundraising effort with a friend.

He said part of the proceeds from the team's last home game of the
season will be used to help build a handicap-accessible playground at
Jori's school, South Thibodaux Elementary School.

"When I seen the playground it looked like a pole swing. When it
rains it turns into a lake. These kids need something like that because
they don't understand our friend is gone," said Breaux, hoping to help
other students with special needs.

Other community members have planned a candlelight vigil this Sunday at 7 p.m. at Peltier Park in Thibodaux.

A memorial fund has been set up to benefit Jori Lirette to help pay
for funeral services. Donations can be made at any Whitney Bank branch
in Louisiana.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/Community-Rallies-After-Gruesome-Murder-128049913.html

Funeral services for the 7-year-old Thibodaux boy that died this
weekend, allegedly by the hand of his father, were set Thursday.
Visitation for Jori Lirette will be held from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Monday, and from 8 a.m. until funeral time Tuesday at St. Genevieve
Catholic Church, 815 Barbier Ave., Thibodaux. Mass will be held at 11
a.m. Tuesday at the church, with burial at St. Joseph Cemetery in Thibodaux.
Lirette, who had cerebral palsy and was confined to a
wheelchair, died Sunday after his father, 30-year-old Jeremiah Wright,
decapitated him at their West Seventh Street home. Wright was arrested
after a driver spotted the head, and is charged with first-degree murder.
Wright is being held in isolation at the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of a $5 million bond.
A candlelight vigil for Jori is set for 7 p.m. Sunday in Peltier Park in
Thibodaux. Donations can be made in the name of Jori Lirette at any Whitney Bank location.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20110818/HURBLOG/110819471?Title=Funeral-services-set-for-slain-7-year-old

The hundreds that showed up to Peltier Park Sunday night were staring at
a makeshift altar, consisting of a folding table with a plain white sheet.
There was a string of ivy
that snaked around a Teddy bear, candles and picture of Jori Lirette —
the 7-year-old boy found murdered at his Thibodaux home a week before.
The candlelight vigil was the city of Thibodaux's great airing of public
grief for Jori's death. It had been a long week for the city, as well as
the area, as residents struggled to come to grips with the brutality of
its first homicide since 2008.
Jori's father, Jeremiah Wright is accused of decapitating and dismembering his
son, who was wheelchair bound and was fed via a tube. He is charged
with first-degree murder and is being held at the Lafourche Parish jail
in lieu of a $5 million bond.
The vigil was organized by a group of locals, and spread all over Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes via Facebook.
"We feel lost. We have all been shaken by what has happened," Joseph
Nguyen, associate pastor at St. Joseph's Co-Cathedral, told the crowd.
"But we should have no doubt but that God is with us in the pain we are suffering."
It was a theme repeated over and over again by city officials and local ministers who spoke at the event.
"Although we must all go through the grieving process, let us stop to celebrate
Jori's life," said Mayor Tommy Eschete. "Although it is difficult to
take anything positive out of this, we can all take comfort knowing that
Thibodaux is a loving community. That's evident by how many people are
here today."
But the speaker that drew the most awed silence from the crowd was
27-year-old Jesslyn Lirette, Jori's mother.
As she stood trembling at the microphone Jesslyn read a letter to her slain son.
"I remember when you were born, and I first held your hand," Jesslyn said.
"You weren't smiling then, but you are smiling now."
At one point, Jesslyn looked upwards and smiled with red-rimmed eyes.
"In heaven they say there is no pain, no illness," she said. "People say
you're walking up there now, and I believe them. I just can't wait to see it myself."
As Jesslyn stepped away from the microphone, the crowd burst into applause — and
many into tears. Jori's cousins released a flock of 50 brightly-colored
balloons that caught the last rays of the sun as they floated above the roof of the trees.
As they did, Jesslyn lit a candle, and passed its tiny fire onward. The light
grew as the fire passed from candle to candle, person to person, until
the whole pavilion was ringed with lights.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20110821/HURBLOG/110829958/1315?p=2&tc=pg

Doctors to decide alleged killer's sanity

Psychiatrists will say whether man accused of decapitating his son is fit to stand trial.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 10:32 p.m.

Doctors will decide if the man accused of beheading his 7-year-old disabled son more than two weeks ago is mentally fit to stand trial.

Jeremiah Wright, 30, of 414 W. Seventh St., Thibodaux, was indicted Friday by a Lafourche Parish grand jury on a first-degree-murder charge in the death of Jori Lirette. A second-grader at South Thibodaux Elementary, the boy had cerebral palsy, was wheelchair bound and fed via a feeding tube.

District Judge Hugh Larose of Thibodaux granted a request Monday filed by Wright's attorney, Kerry Cuccia, saying his client does not comprehend the charges against him and cannot properly assist lawyers appointed to represent him.

Wright had been set to enter a plea on the charge leveled by the grand jury, but now that the request for a psychiatric evaluation has been granted, all proceedings except those relating to his mental capacity are on hold.

A sanity commission comprised of New Orleans psychiatrists Richard Rishoux and Daphne Glindmeyer is overseen by Judge John LeBlanc. Results of their evaluation of Wright are expected to be discussed during a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17.

Lafourche District Attorney Cam Morvant II, who is prosecuting the case, said he plans to file papers today asking that another commission of doctors determine whether Wright was sane at the time of his alleged crime.

LeBlanc will consider that request during a hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14.

Cuccia, director of the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana, said he expects Wright to stay in Lafourche Parish while he is examined by doctors. His bond, previously set at $5 million, was revoked by Leblanc, with no objections from defense attorneys.

On Monday, LeBlanc referred to the pending trial as a “potential death-penalty” case.

Morvant, however, said he will not decide whether to seek the death penalty until he has seen all of the information.

“I don't have a timetable,” Morvant said, adding that he has talked to Jori Lirette's family about the decision. “It's too early to make the call.”

Under Louisiana law, a defendant can be declared legally insane if he or she cannot distinguish between right and wrong in regard to the crime with which he or she is charged.

Two legal issues are now being considered in regard to Wright's mental state.

- Insanity at the time of the crime.

- Incompetence to stand trial.

The motion Cuccia filed Friday deals with the second. It does not claim Wright was insane when he allegedly decapitated and dismembered his son.

Police have said Wright has no history of mental illness, though 27-year-old Jesslyn Lirette, Jori's mother, and her family have said he complained in the past of hearing voices.

Under state law, a person declared incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity cannot face a death sentence.

The two findings are different, Katherine Mattes, a professor at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, said in an interview. Insanity at the time of the crime touches on whether the defendant understood right from wrong. Incompetence to stand trial means a person has been found incapable of understanding the charges against him or assisting in his defense.

Mattes said a person labeled unfit to stand trial is sent to the Feliciana Forensic Facility in Jackson, where he is treated by doctors in an attempt to make him competent. The case is brought in front of a judge every six months to assess whether progress has been made.

If a person cannot be made fit to stand trial, it is possible that he will spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution, said Cheney Joseph, vice chancellor for academic affairs at the LSU Law Center.

To be committed, Cheney said, a person has to be deemed a danger to himself or others.

The last person facing the death penalty in Lafourche Parish to plead not guilty by reason of insanity was Amy Hebert. She was convicted in 2009 of fatally stabbing her 9-year-old daughter, Camille, and 7-year-old son, Braxton.

In 2009, Bryan Vanacor Jr., a Des Allemands man accused of killing his father in 2003, was found not guilty of second-degree murder by reason of insanity by Lafourche Judge Bruce Simpson. Vanacor had been deemed incompetent to stand trial a few years prior, a finding that was changed after treatment.

In Larose's courtroom Monday morning, Wright, whose arms and legs were shackled, faced away from the crowd, where Jesslyn was seated along with her family and friends. Barely moving, Wright sat in the jury box with an emotionless look on his face and never made eye contact with anybody in the crowd. He acted similarly in LeBlanc's courtroom, only looking forward as he walked across the front of the courtroom to be taken back to the jail.

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20110829/HURBLOG/110829552/1026/news01?p=1&tc=pg

Counseling helps Thibodaux officers cope with death

Last Modified: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 11:13 a.m.
Mandatory counseling sessions were held for Thibodaux Police officers to help them cope with the gruesome death of a disabled child killed last month, allegedly by his own father.

Jori Lirette, 7, was found decapitated and dismembered Aug. 14 outside the West Seventh Street home he shared with his parents. The South Thibodaux Elementary second-grader had cerebral palsy, was wheelchair bound and fed via a tube.

Jeremiah Wright, 30, 414 W. Seventh St., Thibodaux, Jori's father, was indicted by a grand jury last month and remains jailed on a first-degree-murder charge in connection with the boy's death.

The counselors are affiliated with the Southern Law Enforcement Foundation in Baton Rouge and were called in by Police Chief Scott Silverii. The idea is to give officers an opportunity to air and come to terms with the feelings they experienced.

“Having gone through a traumatic experience, I thought it was a beneficial and a valuable resource,” Silverii said.

A session was held the day after Jori's funeral, Silverii said. Any employee who had anything to do with the case, from dispatchers to detectives, was required to attend, and others could voluntarily join. While the session was a one-time thing, Silverii said officers can participate in future sessions if they choose.

“Professionally, there's that automatic mind set,” Silverii said. “‘I have to secure the crime scene. I have to look for evidence. I have to look for witnesses.' But no matter how well you're trained, you're still human.”

Silverii said the stereotypical tough-guy police mentality does not properly address the real-life repercussions of traumatic situations.

In the past, “you see a death or serious injury, you suck it up,” said Silverii, who is also a veteran of the Lafourche Sheriff's Office. “That doesn't cut it.”

Matthew Guller, a police psychologist at The Institute for Forensic Psychology in Oakland, N.J., said the way officers handle stress associated with traumatic situations varies from person to person, though talking about it in a group setting has been proven beneficial.

“It helps them process it. (The scene) can overload the brain,” Guller said. “Going through the details of the scenario is the most common form of debriefing. It's often done in a group, and that's helpful in itself, to share the experience with others.”

The stress outside of an officer's work can also play a factor in causing in coping, said Gary Aumiller, executive director of the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology.

“It could be a divorce, or a child being sick,” Aumiller said, adding that having children can make dealing with a child's killing particularly difficult. “Seeing these things could push them over the edge.”

Guller said the talks can help officers understand that symptoms of post-traumatic-stress disorder, which can happen from serious situations, are normal, even if they dissipate in time.

Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Naquin, whose department was also called to West Seventh Street that day, said firefighters often participate in such talks following a traumatic experience such as a fatal car wreck or large fire.

Just like police, rescue squads are trained to expect the unexpected, Naquin said, though surprises can happen “totally away from anything you would have imagined,” Naquin said.

Naquin and Silverii said those extreme situations can leave even the most seasoned veterans with feelings they are unprepared to cope with.

“It goes so far beyond the realm of training. If you go to a car crash, you can prepare yourself. For this, there is no base of reference.”

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20110907/ARTICLES/110909669/1211/news01?p=1&tc=pg

Doctors will peer into alleged killer's mind

By Eric Heisig
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 3:01 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 12:33 p.m.


Doctors will try to determine whether a father was sane when he allegedly beheaded a 7-year-old disabled boy last month.

Jeremiah Wright of Thibodaux is charged in the death of his son, Jori Lirette. A second-grader at South Thibodaux Elementary, the boy had cerebral palsy, was wheelchair-bound and was fed via a tube.

Wright was indicted by a grand jury last month on a first-degree murder charge. He is being held in the Lafourche Parish jail without bond. If convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison and is eligible for the death penalty.

During a hearing Tuesday, District Judge John LeBlanc granted the use of two doctors, chosen by District Attorney Cam Morvant II, to determine whether Wright was insane when he allegedly killed his son.

In a previous hearing, LeBlanc appointed a sanity commission, requested by defense attorney Kerry Cuccia, to determine whether Wright is mentally fit to stand trial. The commission is comprised of psychiatrists Richard Rishoux and Daphne Glindmeyer, who will spend time with Wright on Sept. 23 and Sept. 26, respectively.

Morvant filed a motion in late August requesting the use of his own doctors to examine Wright. The request was granted Tuesday, along with another to expand the scope of the already-ordered sanity commission. Morvant elected to use psychiatrist George Seiden and psychologist Raphael Salcedo and said they will examine Wright some time after the commission.

Cuccia concurred with Morvant's requests as long as he is allowed to have the already-appointed sanity commission perform the same mental tests on Wright.

The results of all of the examinations will be presented in a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in LeBlanc's courtroom.

Wright was originally set to enter a plea Friday, but that proceeding has been continued without date and will not be addressed until after doctors present their findings.

Two distinct legal issues are now being considered in regard to Wright's mental state:

- Was Wright insane at the time of the crime.

- Is Wright mentally fit to understand the charges against him and assist in his defense?

Under state law, a person declared incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity cannot face a death sentence. Morvant said Wednesday evening that he has not decided whether to seek the death penalty and that the decision will most likely come after the results of his examinations are presented.

A person labeled unfit to stand trial is sent to the Feliciana Forensic Facility in Jackson, where he is treated by doctors in an attempt to make him competent. The case is brought in front of a judge every six months to assess whether progress has been made.

If a person cannot be made fit to stand trial, it is possible that he will spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution.

At Tuesday's hearing, Jori's mother, 27-year-old Jesslyn Lirette, along with family members and friends, were in the courtroom. Wright's mother, Rachelle Gros, also showed up for the hearing. At one point, Wright looked at Lirette, who began to cry and left the courtroom but returned before proceedings began.

As Wright was taken out of the courtroom following the hearing, those in the audience were told to stay in their seats. Wright looked at Lirette again before turning his head as he was escorted out in handcuffs and chains at the ankles.

Cuccia, director of the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana, has said he expects Wright to stay in Lafourche Parish while he is examined by doctors.

Katherine Mattes, a professor at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, has said Morvant's motion is “arguably premature” because Wright and his attorneys have yet to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Morvant said Wednesday night he is simply moving the case along, and taking out parts of the procedure that would likely already be done.

“We are moving it along a little bit quicker than normal,” Morvant said. “Most would do it at some point, but this is a good example of saying ‘both are going to do this, let's find out the answers right now.'”

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20110914/HURBLOG/110919760/1211/news01?p=1&tc=pg


Jori Lirette's murder: Complete coverage
http://www.houmatoday.com/section/news1006?tc=ix

Alleged killer's mental-exam scope scaled back

Results of Jeremiah Wright's competence hearing to be presented Oct. 17.

Last Modified: Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 11:58 p.m.
A court-appointed panel of doctors has been ordered to scale back the scope of their examination into the sanity of a man accused of beheading his 7-year-old disabled son.

Jeremiah Wright of Thibodaux is accused of killing his son, Jori Lirette, on Aug. 14. A second-grader at South Thibodaux Elementary, the boy had cerebral palsy, was wheelchair-bound and was fed via a tube.

Wright, 30, was indicted by a grand jury in August on a first-degree murder charge. He is being held in the Lafourche Parish jail without bond. If convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison and is eligible for the death penalty.

In August, District Judge John LeBlanc appointed a sanity commission, requested by defense attorney Kerry Cuccia, to determine whether Wright is mentally fit to stand trial. The commission is comprised of psychiatrists Richard Rishoux and Daphne Glindmeyer, who spent time with Wright on Sept. 23 and Sept. 26, respectively.

At a second hearing, LeBlanc granted a request from District Attorney Cam Morvant II to expand the scope of the already ordered sanity commission to include a determination of whether Wright was sane at the time of the crime.

But LeBlanc issued an order repealing that request last week, telling the commission to determine whether Wright is competent to stand trial and assist in his own defense.

“We are going to take it one step at a time,” Morvant said. “That's probably the better way to go.”

Katherine Mattes, a professor at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, previously told The Courier and Daily Comet that evaluating whether Wright was sane at the time of the crime is “arguably premature” because Wright has not entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

“The defense hasn't raised that claim,” she said. “It's still not an issue.”

She also said the issue of Wright's mental state at the time of the crime could be irrelevant if the sanity commission determines Wright is incompetent to stand trial.

Morvant and Cuccia each said the decision was made with the consent of the prosecution and defense.

The results of all of the examinations will be presented in a hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in LeBlanc's courtroom.

Under state law, a person declared incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity cannot face a death sentence. Morvant said he has not decided whether to seek the death penalty. That decision, he said, will likely come after the examination's findings are presented.

A person labeled unfit to stand trial is sent to the Feliciana Forensic Facility in Jackson for treatment. Doctors there attempt to make suspects competent. The case is brought in front of a judge every six months to assess whether progress has been made.

If a person cannot be made fit to stand trial, it is possible he will spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution.

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20111001/ARTICLES/111009974/1315/news1006?p=2&tc=pg

Sanity hearing today for Thibodaux father who allegedly beheaded son

The Associated Press
Published: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 6:44 a.m.

THIBODAUX — Psychiatrists were scheduled to tell a Louisiana judge today whether they believe a man can help his lawyers defend him against charges that he bludgeoned, beheaded and dismembered his disabled 7-year-old son and put the boy's head in the yard.

If State District Judge John LeBlanc rules that Jeremiah Wright, 30, of Thibodaux is not competent to stand trial, Wright would go to a state mental hospital for treatment.

He is currently held in lieu of $5 million bond, charged with first-degree murder of Jori Lirette, who was born three months premature, could say only a few words and needed a feeding tube and wheelchair.

Two psychiatrists appointed by LeBlanc and one working for prosecutors were expected to testify Tuesday afternoon.

Jori was killed Aug. 14 in their home while his mother, Jesslyn Lirette, 27, was out. His torso, lower legs and a forearm were found in a plastic bag in the trash can.

Police said Wright waived his right to an attorney and confessed the same day. The sworn police statement used to get an arrest warrant included harrowing details about the decapitation and dismemberment.

According to that statement, he said Jesslyn Lirette had told him she was kicking him out, and he left the head in their yard so she would see it when she got home and "feel stupid." By the time she arrived, police were already there and had removed the head.

The statement also quoted Wright as saying that signs — including being defecated and urinated on that morning — made him realize that he was living with a CPR dummy rather than his son. Throughout the statement, he referred only to "the dummy," it said.

Wright told police that "he was tired of taking care of the dummy. Wright said that as soon as he realized that Jori was a dummy, and not his son, he 'started contemplating on killing him,'" according to the statement.

It quoted him as saying "that because of Jori's medical condition ... he could not cry much."

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20111018/HURBLOG/111019561/1315/news1006?Title=Sanity-hearing-today-for-Thibodaux-father-who-allegedly-beheaded-son

Alleged child killer not fit to stand trial

Jeff Bordelon (from left), Capt. Roy Gros and Sgt. John Foote of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office escort Jeremiah Wright into the Lafourche Parish Courthouse Tuesday in Thibodaux.

By Eric Heisig
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 1:49 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 1:49 p.m.
The father accused of beheading his 7-year-old disabled son in his Thibodaux home is not mentally fit to stand trial, according to a court-appointed panel of doctors and a ruling by a Lafourche judge.

Jeremiah Wright, 30, is charged with killing his son, Jori Lirette, on Aug. 14. A second-grader at South Thibodaux Elementary, the boy had cerebral palsy, was wheelchair-bound and was fed via a tube.

Two New Orleans psychiatrists examined Wright — Richard Richoux did so Sept. 28, Daphne Glindmeyer on Oct. 10.

Their findings, entered as evidence but sealed from public view during Tuesday’s hearing, say Wright lacks the mental capacity to assist in his defense and does not understand the court proceedings.

Lafourche District Judge John LeBlanc accepted the findings of the doctors, who he appointed as the court’s sanity commission in August, and deemed Wright incompetent to stand trial. Wright will be sent to the Feliciana Forensic Facility in Jackson, where he will be treated in an attempt to make him competent. All court proceedings are suspended.

No objections were made by District Attorney Cam Morvant II or Wright’s attorney, Kerry Cuccia, and both declined to cross-examine the doctors during the hearing, which lasted less than 15 minutes.

A status update is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31. LeBlanc said he will receive monthly updates from the mental hospital, which he will then pass on to Morvant and Cuccia.

LeBlanc, aware of the lack of bed space at the Jackson facility, said he would do his best to get Wright to the center “as quickly as possible,” adding that he does not have much control over the situation.

Morvant filed a motion in late August requesting the use of his own doctors to examine Wright, which was later granted. Morvant had elected to use psychiatrist George Seiden and psychologist Raphael Salcedo to see if Wright is competent to stand trial and if he was insane at the time he allegedly killed his son.

The scope of the evaluation was later scaled back, and all of the doctors who examined Wright were only asked to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. That was the only matter addressed during Tuesday's hearing.

The two issues — competence to stand trial and sanity when the crime was committed — are separate.

The second is significant because a person found not guilty by reason of insanity cannot face the death penalty.

Morvant has said he is awaiting decisions on the sanity issues before deciding whether to seek the death penalty.

Morvant said Seiden and Salcedo examined Wright, but their findings were not entered as evidence “because of the limited scope of the hearing.”

“The commission spoke on the evidence, it was clear,” Morvant said, declining to discuss his doctors' findings. “The judge's ruling was very clear, so there was no reason to go forward with it.”

However, Morvant said if Wright is made competent to stand trial, “the battle for sanity at time of the commission of the crime will be fought.”

Cuccia, head of the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana, said he agreed with the judge's decision.

“In light of everything, I think the judge ruled the proper way,” Cuccia said. “He is going to get the treatment he clearly needs.”

Wright was indicted by a grand jury in August on a first-degree murder charge. If convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison and is eligible for the death penalty.

By law, the case is required to be brought in front of a judge every six months to assess whether progress has been made. If a person cannot be made fit to stand trial, it's possible he will spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution.

Members of Lirette's family, including his mother, 27-year-old Jesslyn Lirette, attended Tuesday's hearing. When LeBlanc issued his ruling, family members began to cry.

“I was told he is in a much worse place than going to prison. But that does nothing for me,” said a family member who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitive situation. “I want to see him in a jail cell, where he can never get out.”

Wright's mother, Rachelle Gros, refused comment outside the Lafourche Courthouse.

The last person to be deemed unfit to stand trial in Lafourche was Bryan Vanacor Jr. He was accused of killing his father in November 2003 and was deemed incompetent in 2007. However, a lack of bed space at the Jackson facility kept him in the Lafourche Parish jail where he could not receive adequate treatment.

District Judge Bruce Simpson later found Vanacor not guilty by reason of insanity, and in February he was moved to the Jackson facility.

Katherine Mattes, a professor at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, said being deemed incompetent is not rare in Louisiana. The question, she said, is how long Wright will be held at the facility. The U.S. Supreme Court said in a 1972 decision that a state cannot hold somebody indefinitely.

“What a reasonable period of time is varies and depends on the reason for the incompetence and the nature of the state's interest,” Mattes said.

Mattes said that those deemed incompetent to stand trial must be moved to the Jackson facility within 30 days. This is per a federal court ruling issued in April. If an inmate is not moved within that time, a prosecutor or defense attorney can take actions to enforce the court ruling.

The facility has long been plagued with problems such as too few beds and cuts from the state budget. For a high-profile case such as this, however, Mattes said Wright should be moved in more than enough time.

If a person cannot be restored to competency, then court proceedings are held to see whether he should be committed to a mental institution. If a person is not deemed to be a danger to himself or others, there is a chance he can be set free.

However, Mattes said, this is rare and is highly unlikely in Wright's case.

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20111018/ARTICLES/111019533/1315/news1006?p=1&tc=pg