High court denies request of man found guilty in robbery, beating of elderly man

The state Supreme Court has denied a writ application filed by a Rapides Parish man convicted in the 2018 brutal attack and robbery of an elderly Pitkin man who was found unconscious in a roadside ditch.

This week, the court ruled it will not consider the request filed by Gerald Lynn Artis, who was convicted of armed robbery and aggravated second-degree battery in connection with the incident which occurred in December 2018 in rural Allen Parish. The ruling allows for the decision of a lower court to stand.

Artis was convicted of armed robbery and second-degree battery following a jury trial in November 2022.

He was sentenced to 27 years in prison without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension for armed robbery and 10 years for aggravated second degree battery. A district judge ordered the sentences to run at the same time.

Artis, along with three other individuals, are accused of beating and robbing the 73-year-old man after he left the Coushatta Casino in Kinder with a large amount of money in December 2018. The victim was later found in a ditch on Powell Road, south of Oberlin, with several lacerations to the back of his head.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeal later affirmed Artis’ conviction despite his claims that the state failed to sufficiently prove him guilty and failed to grant a motion for a new trial.

Artis argued that there was no forensic evidence tying him to the scene of the crime and no identification of him by the victim.

The state contends that it presented several surveillance camera videos, physical evidence and multiple witnesses, including several persons who allegedly saw Artis strike the victim twice in the back of the head with a tire iron and take his wallet before leaving him in the ditch.

Artis also claimed the trial court was wrong in denying a motion to suppress evidence seized during his arrest. He accused investigators from the Allen Parish Sheriff’’s Office of using an illegal “ping” on his cellphone to determine his location, which constituted a warrantless search and was not justified under the facts of the case.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeal rejected all the claims.

SportsPlus

McNeese Sports

Cowboys rally for big win

Crime

Hitman will continue to serve life sentence in Fourth of July murder

Local News

Delta Airlines flight flips over on landing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport and 8 people are hurt

Local News

School Board looks to make up lost time due to snow days

Local News

Jennings councilman wants to change rules for hiring, firing attorney

life

Preserving history for future generations: Exhibit examinins role Black churches play in communities

Local News

Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal

Crime

2/17: Calcasieu Parish Sheriff announces arrest list

life

Vote now for the People’s Choice Mardi Gras of SW La.

Local News

Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash

McNeese Sports

Showdown in Hammond

McNeese Sports

Diamond roundup: Cowboys fall, Cowgirls win

Local News

US eggs prices hit a record high of $4.95 and are likely to keep climbing

Local News

Several Louisiana public university athletic programs — including McNeese — face financial deficits

Local News

Getting back on par: The long and short of the National Golf Club of Louisiana

Local News

NASA sending DeRidder students’ experiment into stratosphere

Local News

Shady Lane man found unresponsive has died

McNeese Sports

Richards shoots Cowboys by UNO

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls end skid at UNO

McNeese Sports

Late power lifts Pokes

McNeese Sports

Record win for Landreneau

Jim Beam

Jim Beam column:Movie highlights injustice

Informer

The Informer: LC was almost the home of a US naval base

McNeese Sports

Roundup: Cowboys win opener, Cowgirls fall to Tennessee