July 31, 2026

NEW ORLEANS — Four defendants have been convicted in three Orleans Parish homicide prosecutions following years of investigative work, forensic testing and trial preparation.

The verdicts stem from the killing of Taivon Aples and the shooting of Riyona Hayes; the killings of Lloyd Smith and Gerald Robichaux; and the killings of Angel Funez and Niukura Gonzalez. Prosecutors presented the cases with support from investigators, victim-witness advocates, trial assistants and law-enforcement partners.

An Orleans Parish jury convicted Brian Plummer and Carl Newman Jr. in connection with an Oct. 5, 2022, drive-by shooting in the 3500 block of Thalia Street that killed Taivon Aples and injured Riyona Hayes. Evidence presented at trial showed that the shooters used a stolen vehicle, crashed it shortly after the shooting and fled on foot.

Plummer was found guilty of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Newman was found guilty of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.

Investigators identified Plummer early in the investigation, while identifying Newman required nearly two additional years of work. DNA testing completed in August 2024 helped confirm Newman as the driver and second shooter. Detectives also presented high-definition security video, clothing and facial comparisons, phone and social-media records, and cell-site data connecting both defendants to the crime.

“A big shout-out to Walter Edmond of the New Orleans Police Department, just really dialed in on making sure that we got justice for this family, not just with one piece of the puzzle, but sticking with it, making sure that DNA got tested, making sure that every stone got unturned. We see time and time again in these prosecutions that the devil’s in the details. And that’s exactly where we found these two defendants, in the details of their phones, their Instagram records and the little pieces that, if you’re just looking at it in a bubble, you’re not going to notice.”

— Assistant District Attorney Forrest Ladd

Assistant District Attorneys Forrest Ladd and Ta’Rae Owens prosecuted the case. The trial team also included Victim Witness Advocate Angele Crawford, OPDA Investigator Elizabeth Garcia and NOPD Detective Walter Edmond.

Laura Collins was convicted in two separate homicide cases. In the first, a jury found her guilty of manslaughter and obstruction of justice in the Jan. 9, 2020, killing of Lloyd Smith. In the second, a jury found her guilty of second-degree murder in the Jan. 12, 2021, killing of Gerald Robichaux.

In the Robichaux case, officers responded shortly after 1 a.m. to a residence in the 3100 block of North Claiborne Avenue and found him unresponsive on a bedroom floor. Investigators determined that he died from neck compression. Officers secured the residence, the NOPD Crime Lab processed the scene, detectives interviewed neighbors, and investigators collected and preserved physical and digital evidence.

Assistant District Attorney Corbin Bates led the prosecution team, with Assistant District Attorneys Tomas Kerr and Mia Williams working on both cases. The team also included Trial Assistant Erin Fuenning, Victim Witness Advocate Melissa Lewis, OPDA Investigators Basil Trepagnier and Adrian Malone, and NOPD Detectives Stephanie Gray and Michael Baldassaro.

An Orleans Parish jury convicted Eric J. Cloud of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery in the Feb. 8, 2020, killings of Angel Funez and Niukura Gonzalez in the 4000 block of Ulloa Street.

A nearby Real Time Crime Camera captured the attack and the assailant’s movements before and after the shooting. DNA collected from Funez’s hand produced a CODIS match to Cloud, and video showed that no one else touched Funez between the struggle and the arrival of first responders. During a search of Cloud’s residence, detectives recovered clothing consistent with that worn by the assailant, 9mm ammunition matching the caliber used in the killings and pants bearing Funez’s blood.

“We were finally able to hold them accountable and responsible, and prove to a jury of 12 people that these are the ones who committed these crimes.”

— Assistant District Attorney Corbin Bates

Assistant District Attorneys Corbin Bates and Kristen Butler prosecuted the case. The trial team also included Trial Assistant Alecia Richards, Victim Witness Advocate Kayonna Armstrong, OPDA Investigator Adrian Malone and NOPD Detective Maggie Darling.

These verdicts reflect the sustained work of detectives who followed the evidence, prosecutors and investigators who prepared the cases for trial, advocates who supported victims and their families, trial assistants who managed complex proceedings, and jurors who fulfilled their civic responsibility.

The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office remembers Taivon Aples, Lloyd Smith, Gerald Robichaux, Angel Funez and Niukura Gonzalez. The office also recognizes survivor Riyona Hayes and the loved ones who waited years for these cases to reach court. Although no verdict can undo their loss, these convictions represent meaningful accountability supported by evidence and secured through the judicial process.