NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – The man charged in the 2015 armed robbery of a well-known television reporter is now accused in a double shooting and murder. Not only does he have a long criminal history that spans three parishes, he also was out on bond at the time of the latest crime.
Longtime New Orleans investigative reporter Richard Angelico will tell you he’s given up on seeing justice in his case.
“I had a gun stuck in my face in front of my home and my truck stolen, that’s why I’m here on the North Shore now. My wife and I are fed up with Orleans Parish. It’s a joke,” Angelico said.
In September 2015, Angelico was robbed at gunpoint in front of his Bayou St. John home. Police said Joshua Augillard, who was 16 at the time, and three others were responsible. Augillard was eventually charged as an adult in the case. But, nearly four years later, the case has yet to go to trial.
“I keep getting calls from the DA’s office, they’re doing this, they’re doing that, they’re doing nothing,” Angelico said.
What’s more, Augillard is now a suspect after being identified as an accomplice in the murder of 17-year-old Tyneisha Muse and the attempted murder of her boyfriend. That double shooting happened in March at the corner of North Prieur and Congress Streets. According to court documents, Augillard was out on a $45,000 bond for Angelico’s armed robbery when the murder happened.
Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said Augillard’s bond was not typical for the charges he was accused of.
“The bond in this particular case was set at $45,000 and in 2015 the average bond for robberies was $60,000 so this was about a third less than what the court average was,” Goyeneche said.
Also while out on bond, Augillard was arrested in both Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. He was given a $2,000 bond in one case and $3,500 in another on numerous charges ranging from delinquency of a minor, to possession of drugs.
He also currently has warrants out for his arrest in St. Tammany and Jefferson Parishes. And, court documents reveal he’s failed to appear in court 11 times.
Goyeneche said Augillard’s case is a prime example of why electronic monitoring is needed.
“Because, I’ve monitored what bail bonds are being set in Criminal District Court and between 2015 and 2018 bond in every category of felony offenses is down anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent,” Goyeneche said. “If this young man was wearing a monitor when he failed to appear in court six months ago, he would have been in custody and he wouldn’t have been out on the streets.”
But, Angelico said the real way to stop the problem is to expeditiously try cases like his.
“This is yet another example of the judges and the district attorneys involved in this case to expeditiously and meaningfully handle extremely violent cases like this. And tragically as a result, a young woman is now dead and the public needs to hold these officials accountable,” Angelico said.
FOX 8 reached out to both the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defenders Office that has represented Augillard, ,but both said they don’t speak about open and pending cases.