Blood drawn for a DNA sample from Darlene Sias can be admitted as evidence in her second-degree murder trial, a judge ruled
Friday.
Sias, 52, is accused of killing her husband, Joseph Sias, in December 2011.
Her attorney, King Alexander, argued that the blood was inadmissible because the search warrant was issued after Sias had
been assigned counsel.
He said Sias was taken to the nurses station at Calcasieu Correctional Center. She asked if her attorney should be present,
he said, but was told she had no choice.
Prosecutor Carla Sigler said she knew of no other case that set precedent that a hearing was necessary to execute a search
warrant.
A trial date for Sias has not yet been set.
Prosecutors also requested a hearing to decide whether to take the testimony of an 80-year-old witness prior to the trial.
Jeffrey Doise’s pre-trial conference was reset for Jan. 3 because his sanity evaluation was not yet complete, prosecutor David
Palay said.
In May, Doise, 18, changed his plea of not guilty to not guilty by reason of insanity.
Doise is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his aunt, 40-year-old Susan Doise.
Prosecutors said Jeffrey Doise fatally shot his aunt, with whom he lived on West Jefferson Street, in September 2011.
Prosecutors said the victim’s 4-year-old child was found hiding under the covers in a nearby bedroom.
Doise, who is being held on $750,000 bond at the Calcasieu Correctional Center, is also charged with criminal abandonment,
unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and unauthorized use of an access card.