LAFAYETTE, La. — On February 9, 2023, a 12-person jury of Lafayette Parish unanimously convicted 19-year-old Travontae White of first-degree robbery, according to 15th Judicial District Attorney Don Landry. White was 17 when he committed the robbery of a pregnant woman.
On May 24, 2021, White stopped his car as the woman was walking down Darrel Street in Lafayette. He proceeded to produce a handgun and demanded for her purse. He grabbed the victim's purse with $200 inside and drove off, the victim testified.
The suspect was identified through the work of Lafayette Police Department Detective Devin Touchet, and a warrant was issued for the suspect. White was arrested nearly four months later in another jurisdiction and transported to Lafayette to face this charge, authorities say.
District Attorney Don Landry stated that the victim and witnesses had consistently communicated with his office and cooperated whenever called on.
“We need victims to assist us in prosecuting these violent crimes, and to testify at trial when that time comes. Without them, convicting violent criminals would become very difficult or impossible. They are to be commended for doing so in this case,” said Landry.
“I would like to thank Det. Kyle Manceaux, our DA’s office investigator, for working tirelessly to help us get this case to trial,” Landry added.
Felony prosecutor Frederick Welter, who prosecuted the case along with Matt Allen during the jury trial, was pleased with the work of the law enforcement team as well as with the jury’s decision.
“This jury did an outstanding service to our community this week. They were very attentive, applied the law as the judge gave it to them, and decided this case based on the evidence presented. This verdict will let the juveniles in our community know that they cannot commit violent crimes in Acadiana without being caught and punished,” said Welter.
District Attorney Don Landry also noted that the conviction was a signal to the community that his Juvenile Crime Initiative announced in January of 2022 is working.
“We let the community know that we were going to aggressively prosecute violent juvenile criminals, and we have done so. This verdict confirms what we are hearing from the people of Acadiana – that they want juveniles who use guns to commit crimes to be treated like adults and to be prosecuted as adults,” added Landry.
White faces up to 40 years in prison under Louisiana law, officials say.
Sentencing will take place after the court has received a pre‐sentence investigation from Department of Corrections.
