Updated 5:30 p.m. Friday

A DeSoto Parish jury has found Cody Carl Parker not guilty of manslaughter.

"We are happy that Cody has been released from this nightmare. It is unfortunate and saddening to him that a burglar put him in a situation where he felt he had no choice but to defend himself," said attorney Dhu Thompson, who defended Parker.

Updated posted at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday

The trial of Cody Carl Parker, a Mansfield man accused of manslaughter, could conclude Thursday.

Court officials anticipate closing arguments could take place Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

Original story posted at 10:32 a.m. Wednesday

Testimony was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning in the trial of a Mansfield man accused in the shooting death of someone he says he caught vandalizing a vehicle outside of his home.

Cody Carl Parker, 36, is on trial for manslaughter.

He was initially charged with second-degree murder when arrested in February 2017. A grand jury a year later amended the charge. Manslaughter carries a sentence of up to 40 years upon conviction, compared to a second-degree murder conviction that is a mandatory life sentence.

Parker is accused in the death of James Hewitt, 50, of Mansfield.

Hewitt was found in a yard next to Parker's home on Canary Lane suffering from a gunshot wound.

Parker told authorities he went outside of his home armed with a rifle to confront a person he saw. Parker said he had previous issues with vandalism at his home.

The man, later identified as Hewitt, reportedly ran from the scene as shots were fired.

A judge on Thursday set $50,000 bond for the Sabine Parish woman charged with murder in the death of her toddler son, who wandered away from home and fell into a neighbor's pool and drowned.

Christina Rivers, 23, of Zwolle was indicted for second-degree murder on Monday in the June death of her 2-year-old son, Mason. The grand jury that returned the indictment concluded Rivers showed gross negligence in the parental supervision her son received.

Rivers had been held without bond. District Judge Stephen Beasley granted a defense motion to set bond.

State law allows a person to be charged with murder in cases where there are other offenses, including cruelty to juveniles, even when there is no specific intent to harm someone. A provision of cruelty to juveniles is criminal neglect, which is the accusation lodged against Rivers, Sabine District Attorney Don Burkett said earlier this week.

She faces mandatory life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.

Rivers' attorneys said the murder charge is overblown.

"While this is a tragic situation, it is not a second-degree murder case," defense co-counsel Dhu Thompson said after Thursday's hearing. "She is devastated by the loss of her child, as is the entire family."

As part of the bail hearing, Burkett disclosed results of blood drawn on Rivers on the day of Mason's death. Tests indicated she had 320 ng/ml of methamphetamine and 100 ng/ml of amphetamines in her system. The amounts equate to taking methamphetamine over a period of time.

A toxicology report done after Mason's death revealed the child also had methamphetamine in his system. Investigators are still trying to determine if he was exposed to second-hand smoke or ingested the drug directly.

Rivers told authorities on the day of Mason's death that she had left him unattended for only a short period of time in the living room of their home while she took a shower. She said she came out of the bathroom to find him missing.

Investigators said a motorist reported seeing Mason around 10:20 a.m. unattended in the yard of a home that sits behind Christina Rivers' home and fronts a highway. The call about Mason's disappearance came after 2 p.m., authorities said. They said it appeared the toddler climbed onto the ledge of a Jacuzzi and fell in.

An autopsy indicated the child had been dead approximately one hour prior to being found.

Investigators have arrested a suspect in connection to the death of a woman whose body was found dumped in Whiskey Bay.

Detectives with the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office confirm they have arrested Jonathan Allee, 28, and charged him with second-degree murder in connection to the case. Sheriff Brett Stassi said Allee is the victim's husband but they did not share a last name.

The body of Elizabeth Ferrell, 29, of Humble, Texas was discovered by a fisherman Saturday, April 23 at roughly 11 a.m. An autopsy was conducted and it was determined that she died from strangulation.

Sheriff Stassi said they believe her body was thrown from I-10 between the Ramah and Whiskey Bay exits the day before her body was discovered.

The sheriff said many people use those waterways to dump bodies, which is why Iberville Parish works many cases of bodies that are found.

After interviewing more than 20 witnesses in Humble, Texas, detectives believe Allee is the only suspect in the grisly crime.

"Through some electronic cameras, video and his own words, we have brought it down and have enough to arrest him for second degree murder," Stassi said.

It is believed Ferrell was killed before her body was thrown from I-10 into the waterway near the Whiskey Bay exit.

"I think the evidence proves that she was dead prior to hitting the water in Iberville Parish," said Stassi.

Detectives are still trying to piece together exactly what led up to the murder. Allee has no criminal history, but investigators believe the violence stemmed from the couple's rocky marriage.

"There's always in these kind of relationships she was gone leave, she wasn't gone leave, then she's back you know. Whatever was the last straw to break the camel's back allowed her to be in his grasp and she was killed," Stassi said.

Allee was arrested at his home in Humble, Texas around 3 p.m. Friday by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, though he has yet to confess to the crime.

"He didn't confess to anything he just said some things that sometimes it's not what he said sometimes it's what you don't say," Stassi added.

The Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office will work to get Allee extradited to Louisiana so he can face charges.

From KTBS 3 News:

NATCHITOCHES, La. -
A Natchitoches Parish jury deliberated for less than 12 minutes before finding a former local dentist not guilty of the crime of unauthorized participation in medical assistance programs.

Dr. David Reed's defense attorneys, Dhu Thompson and Daryl Gold, argued to the jury that Reed was an "unfortunate victim of a vague, complicated regulatory scheme that led to an unnecessary prosecution by the Louisiana Attorney General's Office Medicaid Fraud Division," according to a news release.

Reed was previously deemed an excluded provider from the Medicaid program. He was subsequently recruited to work strictly as a private pay dentist at the Outpatient Medical Center in Natchitoches.

Despite this contractual arrangement, Reed was charged with violating the statute because he was employed by a facility that contracted with Medicaid. Thompson and Gold showed the complex nature of the regulatory statutes and how Reed never had any criminal intent to violate the law, the release states

Testimony from Outpatient Medical CEO John Winston and Lula Williams established that Reed did not treat Medicaid patients nor did he bill Medicaid for any services.

After the verdict, Thompson said that he will ask the legislature to consider fixing the statute to clarify what he considers to be "vague and overbroad provisions that could subject other healthcare providers in Louisiana to unnecessary criminal prosecutions."
District Court Judge Lala B. Sylvester presided over the three-day trial.

In a recent non-parent custody case, obtained a judgment of custody for a grandparent seeking to remove his grandchild from an unsuitable home environment. The case involved multi - jurisdictions and extended litigation.

In a recent domestic case, sought and obtained sole custody, child support, spousal support, injunctions against abuse and exclusive use of the matrimonial household for a contested divorce case involving domestic abuse allegations and minor children.

In a recent divorce case, sought and successfully obtained a Judgement of Divorce based on adultery, thereby reducing the separation period and providing for an immediate divorce.

In State v Brian Horn, prosecuted and obtained a sentence of death against the defendant for the murder of 12- year old Justin Bloxom.

In State v Felton Dorsey, prosecuted and obtained a sentence of death against the defendant for the murder of fire captain Joe Prock.

In State v Michael Kevin Hailey, prosecuted and obtained a sentence of 87 years at hard labor for the stabbing of Jeremy Craig at a bar in Rodessa, Louisiana. The prosecution was referenced in the book Among Murderers and Madness.

In April of 2014, obtained a six figure jury verdict for an automobile collision case, wherein the victim received a foot fracture that resulted in surgery, loss of income and past medical bills.

In October of 2015, settled a complaint against an assisted living facility for violating a resident's DNR Order, resulting in an undesired resuscitation and requiring the family members to make the decision to end their loved one's life. Damages included past and future mental anguish.

In a 4-day custody trial, our client was awarded full custody and the right to relocate his child with him to Mississippi. (Vaughn v Vaughn; 26th Judicial District Court; Bossier Parish, Louisiana; Docket No. 149,103)

In a custody trial, client was awarded shared custody of his two children. Covenant divorce action still pending. (Regan v Regan; 1st Judicial District Court; Caddo Parish, Louisiana; Docket No. 594,982)

In a grandparent custody trial, clients were awarded sole custody of their Great grandchildren due to negligent conditions the children were subjected to with parents. (Moore v Moore and Johnson; 1st Judicial District Court; Caddo Parish, Louisiana; Docket No. 604,131)

In a custody trial, client was awarded full custody of his daughter who had previously been in the custody of her mother and spouse in Oklahoma. Due to negligent conditions and abuse allegations, father intervened with custody action that involved multi state litigation. After trial, Child now resides in Louisiana with client. (Ellison v Hand, et al; 1st Judicial District Court; Caddo Parish, Louisiana, Docket No. 591, 568)

In a trial before the Court, client was found not guilty of theft (City of Bossier v Jonathan Khoury; Bossier City Court; Bossier Parish, Louisiana; Docket No. 17-420)

In protective order trial, clients motion to dismiss was granted. (State of Louisiana v Jennifer Whitaker; 1st Judicial District Court; Caddo Parish, Louisiana; Docket No. 333,811)

In a second-degree murder case in Iberville Parish, our Motion to Quash Indictment was granted and case was dismissed in Louisiana jurisdiction. (State v Jonathan Allee; 18th Judicial District; Iberville Parish; Docket No. 843-16)

Our office currently is handling the defense of two high profile murder cases in the region and expect the matters to go to trial in 2018.

Six figure settlement in motor vehicle collision case wherein client suffered broken bones and required two surgeries.

Seven figure settlement in 18 wheeler collision case. As a result, our office has a pending application to the million-dollar advocates forum.

Currently representing two high profile hit and run death cases and anticipate trials on these matters in 2018.

Successfully represented government employee on ethics charge stemming from work with nonprofit agency. Charges were dismissed in the litigation process.