A local man who was scheduled to go to trial in two weeks has pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder and was sentenced Tuesday in state district court.

Robert Jordan Handy, 28, was sentenced to 35 years in prison with 20 years suspended.

He will receive credit for time served and will be on probation for three years after his release from prison.

Handy has been in jail since being arrested in the May 2017 shooting of local attorney Jonathan Brown inside his residence on P.E. Daigle Road in Iowa, La.

Brown received serious injuries, including being shot in his back. He was airlifted from the scene, spent time recovering in the intensive care unit of a Lafayette hospital, and has since returned to his law practice.

Authorities have said Handy fired numerous rounds into Brown’s residence. With the grouping of the bullets in and around the door of the home, prosecutors were able to determine that the shots were fired with the intent to kill Brown.

Prosecutor Daniel Vermaelen said Brown has continued to cope with the physical and emotional process of recovering from his injuries but that he’s a “strong individual” and will persevere.

Handy’s defense attorney was Alfred Boustany of Lafayette.

Kenneth Montgomery Pattum, 28, of Jennings, who is Handy’s co-defendant in this case, is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 15 in state district court.

Authorities have said that Handy and Pattum shot at Brown’s home following an argument with Brown’s fiancee. Brown and the fiancee’s child were both inside but the child was not injured.

Guilty