NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The teenager who dragged a New Orleans woman to her gruesome death during a March 2022 carjacking in Mid-City was convicted of second-degree murder Monday night (Nov. 27).
An Orleans Parish jury deliberated about 3 1/2 hours before finding 18-year-old John Honore guilty as charged. Honore faces a mandatory lifetime prison term, with the possibility of parole after 25 years, when Judge Kimya Holmes imposes his sentence on Jan. 12.
Jury deliberations began around 4:20 p.m. and the verdict was returned at 8 p.m.
Honore’s accomplices -- 17-year-old Briniyah Baker, 16-year-old Lenyra Theophile, and 16-year-old Mar’Qel Curtis -- pleaded guilty to lesser charges of attempted manslaughter last week. The three co-defendants were each sentenced to 20-year prison terms.
See also: Three of four teens plead guilty in deadly carjacking of Linda Frickey
In the courtroom, the prosecution painted a harrowing picture of the events. Prosecutors Matthew Derbes and Forrest Ladd said Honore and his accomplices approached Frickey’s car on Bienville Street. After a failed attempt due to passing cars, prosecutors say a masked Honore pepper-sprayed and dragged Frickey partially out of her car and subjected her to a brutal assault before she was dragged over 700 feet.
The prosecution says video evidence shows Honore carrying out the merciless act. Frickey, tethered by a seatbelt, pleaded for her life, but Honore reportedly continued the assault.
“The defendant, after pepper spraying her, grabs her, pulls her out of her car, puts heel to her face, stomps her on the head, gets on top, punches her, gets into the driver seat and you will see decisions made that ended Frickey’s life,” prosecutors argued. “She was screaming and pleading for him to stop. (The defendant) dragged her over 700 feet - or two football fields.”
DNA evidence, including the defendant’s DNA allegedly found on an earbud collected from Frickey’s vehicle, was presented.
Defense attorney Williams Boggs acknowledged Honore’s role in the crime but sought to portray the incident as more complex than presented by the prosecution. Defense attorneys highlighted the defendants’ willingness to take responsibility, referencing the guilty pleas of Honore’s co-defendants.
Boggs argued that the incident, involving pepper spray and not a lethal weapon, lacked murderous intent. He urged the jury to consider the defendant’s youth and immaturity in making their decision, saying, “He has accepted responsibility and is asking not to be punished but given a chance.”
Honore’s father was removed from the courtroom after an outburst.
The state’s first witness called to the stand, Leanne Mascar, provided a heart-wrenching firsthand account of Frickey’s death.
Mascar was visibly emotional as she recalled hearing rumbling noises outside of her home on her birthday before she went outside and witnessed a car dragging something that she thought appeared to be a mannequin.
In tears, Mascar described the chilling moment when she realized it was not a mannequin but Frickey, entangled and dragged by the car. Frickey’s pleas for help echoed in the air. Mascar, her husband Mark, and her neighbor ran to where Frickey lay after finally being dislodged from the seatbelt and described how she was lying face up, tangled in cables, with her arm severed. She called the gruesome sight surreal and traumatic. She says bystanders attempted to render aid and cover Frickey up while they waited for first responders.
“This woman was skinned alive, tortured, and I can’t imagine the pain she went through,” Leanne recalled. “We were all victims that day. I will never have another birthday where I don’t think of Linda that day.”
Leanne’s husband Mark was the second witness called to the stand. He said he was cleaning his car with his dog, preparing for his wife’s birthday celebration, when he heard screaming and shouting. Initially mistaking the noise for plastic being dragged, he soon realized the severity of the situation as he saw a person being dragged by a car.
“I hoped she was going to be okay, but we waited so long for help. Her eyes went dark and it got very quiet,” he recalled.
Detective Rayell Johnson, a seasoned investigator with 15 years at the NOPD and a decade in homicide, took the stand as the lead detective in the case.
Upon arriving at the crime scene on Bienville and S. Scott, Detective Johnson recalled a chaotic scene with onlookers, crime scene tape, and a growing crowd.
The detective’s testimony included a detailed examination of crime scene photos and the brutality of the incident. Detective Johnson said that this was one of the most gruesome homicide scenes he had ever encountered.
The state rested its case around 2:30 p.m. after calling Frickey’s sister, Jinny Griffin to the stand. Griffin described Frickey as a great lady who was always there for her and helped people whenever she could.
Boggs called Honore’s mother to the witness stand, who says she went to the NOPD to identify her son because it was “the right thing to do.”
When asked how she feels about her son facing a possible life sentence, she said it made her feel “awful.”
In a letter to the Frickey family, Honore apologized and said he “made the biggest mistake of my life that day.”
The defense rested its case just after 3 p.m.
“This isn’t a situation of ‘kids being kids’ as the defense would have you to believe,” the state began in its closing remarks. “This is about decisions and consequences. This is about a series of decisions that all lead to the end of Linda Frickey’s life. This is the killing of a human being.”
“Nothing about today is about taking responsibility. It’s too little too late. [The defense] is going to get up here and ask you to not take away his life - give him another chance at life. We’re going to ask that you hold him accountable for what he did. We’re going to ask you to follow the law and that the ‘second chance’ is a decision that the parole board makes in 25 years.”
While admitting Honore’s guilt, Boggs challenged the severity of the charges. The defense acknowledged the horrific nature of Frickey’s death, describing it as sad and disgusting, but argued against condemning Honore without considering the broader context.
“You condemn a sin, and not the sinner,” said Boggs. “John has a father. There’s a permanent stay-away order with his father. There you are with your teenage son wearing a pornographic shirt, flipping off the camera with your son flashing gang signs. If you need to know where this came from, you can look at the sins of a father.”
Boggs argued that while the incident was terrible, it involved youths who, despite their actions, should not be discarded. He urged the jurors to consider the socio-economic conditions and lack of opportunities in the city, painting a picture of poverty and lost potential.
The defense argued for leniency, suggesting a sentence that allows for the possibility of redemption.
“You honor Ms. Linda by not sending him away for the rest of his life,” Boggs concluded. “Really I’m just asking for mercy for a child and his mother.”
Boggs suggested considering a manslaughter charge.
Jurors were given their instructions and began deliberating around 4:20 p.m.
After deliberations began, Honore’s father was overheard yelling in the hallway that it was “so unprofessional to railroad me and my son.”
If found guilty as charged with second-degree murder, Honore faces a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
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