New Orleans man pleads guilty to manslaughter

By Suzanne Le Breton
St. Tammany News
Published on Sunday, February 7, 2010 12:26 AM CST

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A New Orleans man was sentenced to eight years in jail after admitting his role in the 2007 murder of a Salvadorian man.

Not waiting for his trial, Grant Gethers appeared before District Judge Richard “Rick” Swartz at a status hearing Thursday and took the stand. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and Swartz sentenced him to eight years.

Gethers was only 17 years old when he accompanied then 17-year-old Glenn Carter, then 19-year-old Jace Washington, and then 19-year-old and Edric Cooper to the old trailer off Bayou Liberty Road just outside Slidell. The four intended to rob the seven illegal immigrants who lived in the home, believing the construction workers to be in possession of a large amount of cash.

According to authorities Carter and Washington went inside the trailer and stumbled upon Jose Luis Martinez, who was cooking dinner. They shot him several times in the torso and left without taking any money. Gethers and Cooper reportedly stayed outside and served as lookouts.

On Thursday a remorseful Gethers attended admitted to his role in the botched armed robbery turned murder.

He is the last to be convicted in the crime.

A jury found Carter guilty of second-degree murder in August 2008, and days later Cooper opted to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Carter received the mandatory life sentence for second-degree murder, and Cooper was sentenced to 12 years.

In October 2009, a jury found Washington guilty of the lesser manslaughter charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23.

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