NEW ORLEANS, LA - A 41-year-old New Orleans man was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder this past April for the 2020 killings of a woman and her father following a dating app meetup where the assailant was offended that the woman did not find him attractive in person.
On April 29, 41-year-old Jamal Harris was convicted of the murders of 35-year-old Jessica Troulliet and her father, 56-year-old Robert Templet Jr., both of whom were gunned down during the early morning hours of October 3, 2020, following a dating app meetup that turned tragic.
The events leading up to the fatal incident occurred on the evening of October 2, 2020, when Troulliet had agreed to meet up with Harris after the two had connected on a nondescript dating app roughly a week earlier. The 35-year-old mother of three had agreed to pick Harris up and bring him to her home in Westwego, which she shared with her father.
When Troulliet met Harris in real life that evening, she was apparently taken aback by his physical appearance, texting a friend that Harris looked like a “goofy pumpkin-lookin’ dude,” while asking for help getting rid of him because he was refusing to leave her home. The unidentified friend declined to help Troulliet, leading to the woman and her father dropping Harris back off at where she originally picked him up.
Prosecutors say Harris was seated in the back of the SUV, with Troulliet driving and her father sitting in the front passenger seat. Shortly after 1:07 a.m. on October 3, authorities say Harris fatally shot Troulliet and Templet while seated behind the victims in the SUV, with authorities discovering their bodies at approximately 1:51 a.m. that same day.
During Harris’ trial, which was conducted as a bench trial rather than a trial by jury, Assistant District Attorney Taylor Somerville stated, “He executed two innocent people because he got his feelings hurt that he isn’t sexy.”
Troulliet’s three children now reside with their maternal grandmother, Christine, who has been raising the trio since their mother and grandfather were gunned down nearly six years ago. The 62-year-old said of the verdict, “Now, I can go home and tell my babies that someone is going to be punished for what they did.”
On top of the two counts of second-degree murder, Harris was also found guilty of obstruction of justice and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Sentencing for the convicted murderer is slated for May 8th.
On April 29, 41-year-old Jamal Harris was convicted of the murders of 35-year-old Jessica Troulliet and her father, 56-year-old Robert Templet Jr., both of whom were gunned down during the early morning hours of October 3, 2020, following a dating app meetup that turned tragic.
The events leading up to the fatal incident occurred on the evening of October 2, 2020, when Troulliet had agreed to meet up with Harris after the two had connected on a nondescript dating app roughly a week earlier. The 35-year-old mother of three had agreed to pick Harris up and bring him to her home in Westwego, which she shared with her father.
When Troulliet met Harris in real life that evening, she was apparently taken aback by his physical appearance, texting a friend that Harris looked like a “goofy pumpkin-lookin’ dude,” while asking for help getting rid of him because he was refusing to leave her home. The unidentified friend declined to help Troulliet, leading to the woman and her father dropping Harris back off at where she originally picked him up.
Prosecutors say Harris was seated in the back of the SUV, with Troulliet driving and her father sitting in the front passenger seat. Shortly after 1:07 a.m. on October 3, authorities say Harris fatally shot Troulliet and Templet while seated behind the victims in the SUV, with authorities discovering their bodies at approximately 1:51 a.m. that same day.
During Harris’ trial, which was conducted as a bench trial rather than a trial by jury, Assistant District Attorney Taylor Somerville stated, “He executed two innocent people because he got his feelings hurt that he isn’t sexy.”
Troulliet’s three children now reside with their maternal grandmother, Christine, who has been raising the trio since their mother and grandfather were gunned down nearly six years ago. The 62-year-old said of the verdict, “Now, I can go home and tell my babies that someone is going to be punished for what they did.”
On top of the two counts of second-degree murder, Harris was also found guilty of obstruction of justice and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Sentencing for the convicted murderer is slated for May 8th.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments