A St. Landry Parish grand jury indicted two men in separate slayings of women.
Jordan Jamal Barnes, 33, was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in the July 2016 slaying ofErica Hunt.
Hunt was missing until 2018 when remains were found in a barn in rural Evangeline Parish; her body was identified in 2024 with the help of the LSU Forensics Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services. Barnes allegedly confessed to the crime.
If convicted, Barnes faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
The grand jury also handed up an indictment charging Irving Cisneros Arguelles, 24, on a charge of first-degree murder in the slaying of Jorlany Osario Beitez.
Beitez was reported missing last month, and Arguelles was located in the Beggs area, allegedly discarding her phone. They found her SUV burned in a nearby field, and then located her body floating in a bayou.
A release from District Attorney Chad Pitre indicates his office has not made a decision as to whether they will pursue the death penalty in Beitez's case. If they don't, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, probation or suspension of sentence if convicted.
