Convict Derek Quebedeaux has petitioned the 21st Judicial District Court for a post conviction relief hearing to reduce his 12-year prison sentence that he received for drunkenly running over five Southeastern students with his truck in 2008; three were killed and two were seriously injured.
On Nov. 8, 2010, Quebedeaux plead guilty to three counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of first degree vehicular negligent injuring and five counts of felony hit and run. Maxime Profit, 23, of Vaires-sur-Marne, France; Thurman Marion, 24, of Kenner, La.; and Beth Boudreaux, 19, of Husser, La. were killed. Nadine Stewart of England and Maja Bradonjic were injured in the accident. Quebedeaux was subsequently convicted and was sentenced to 12 years in prison on February 15, 2011.
According to the Clerk of Court’s office in Amite, the hearing to reduce this sentence was originally scheduled for April 2, 2013, but has been moved to the first of May. Judge M. Douglas Hughes, who sentenced Quebedeaux, will be out of town for the original date. The petition for the hearing was filed on Quebedeaux’s behalf by his attorney, Michael Thiel of Hammond. Thiel did not respond to inquiries made by the The Lion’s Roar to comment on the petition. However, in court documents provided by the clerk of court’s office, Thiel made two claims for the legitimacy of Quebedeaux’s motion to reduce his sentence.
“[The] Defendant believes that he should be given credit for time served under home incarceration,” Thiel stated. “His liberty had been restricted while under home incarceration, and this affects the defendant’s due process rights.”
Thiel also pointed out that the court denied his client’s Motion to Suppress any and all statements made by Quebedeaux to police at the time of his arrest. Thiel called such statements “fruit of the poisonous tree,” as they were given to police who entered Quebedeaux’s home without warrant and were not in hot pursuit. Thiel also considered statements given by Quebedeaux at the  police station equally poisonous.
“Because the Court denied the defendant’s Motion to Suppress, this affected the defendant’s due process rights because he had no other choice but to enter a plea,” Thiel stated. The Lion’s Roar will be reporting on the situation as it develops.