A judge has sentenced Jayden Vongchanh to 40 years in prison for the 2020 shooting death of an LSU student.
Vongchanh, 18, was found guilty this summer of manslaughter; he was a juvenile at the time of the incident but was tried as an adult. A jury found him guilty in a Franklin courtroom; his sentence was handed down in Iberia Parish.
He was convicted in connection with the December 2020 shooting death of Liam McDuff, 19, an LSU student. Vongchanh, who had escaped from a Baton Rouge juvenile facility a couple months prior to the incident, had attended a party in Iberia Parish with some friends, testimony revealed.
After Vongchanh’s group became disruptive, they were told to leave the property. As Vongchanh’s group was getting in their car to leave, Vongchanh pulled out a handgun and shot McDuff. McDuff died as a result of his wounds. Shortly after, Vongchanh made a social media post boasting about the shooting, a release from the District Attorney's Office states.
At the time of the shooting, Vongchanh had been on the run for almost 60 days. Further, as a juvenile, Vongchanh was prohibited from possessing a handgun.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Hammons prosecuted the sentencing.
The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with assistance from multiple other agencies including the Attorney General’s Office, Louisiana State Police, and the New Iberia Police Department.
