“Guilty” was the plea given to the 21st District Judicial Court on Nov. 8, 2010, by Derek Quebedeaux of Hammond. The 22-year-old stood accused of killing three Southeastern students and injuring two others by hit-and-run.
Quebedeaux pled guilty to three counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of first degree vehicular negligent injury and five counts of felony hit and run during his trial for the alleged hit-and-run deaths of three southeastern students and injury of two others on the morning of March 6, 2009.
Quebedeaux was represented by Michael Thiel, attorney at law, who practices in Hammond. According to Thiel, the parameters of Quebedeaux’s sentence have already been set by the presiding judge.
“As a defense attorney, you always want to see the sentence on the lower end,” said Thiel. “Parameters for Derek’s sentencing were set during the trial. However, I’m not at liberty to discuss them.”
According to Thiel, Quebedeaux feels a deep, lingering remorse for his actions.
“Derek is a good kid who made a bad mistake,” said Thiel. “There isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t have remorse, from when he wakes till he lays down to go to sleep. That’s part of the reason why he wanted to plead guilty. He wanted closure for himself and the families of the victims.”
The lives of Maxime Profit, 23, of Vaires-sur-Marne, France; Thurman “Rion” Lowe III, 24, of Kenner, La.; and Beth Boudreaux, 19, of Husser, La., were lost as a result of the incident. Southeastern tennis players Nadine Stewart of England and Maja Bradonjic of Serbia were injured but have since returned home. The accident occurred on Nashville Avenue, a short distance from The Buzz nightclub.
Quebedeaux was arrested and booked in the Tangipahoa Parish jail on three counts of vehicular negligent homicide, two counts of vehicular negligent injury, driving under the influence and reckless operation. Quebedeaux’s bond was $750,000 but was later dropped to $250,000. He was able to pay the bond but was placed under house arrest until his trial.
Quebedeaux awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled for February 15, 2011.