LAFAYETTE, La. — A Lafayette Parish jury convicted Kendell Ledet on Thursday, February 20, 2025, of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Damian George at a local convenience store in September 2020. The verdict came after a detailed trial that included testimony from law enforcement officers and surveillance evidence.
According to testimony presented by Lafayette police officers and detectives, George had stopped at a convenience store on North University Avenue on the evening of September 19, 2020. Ledet, who had been at the store, waited for George to exit before approaching him and firing six times with a .40 caliber pistol. George was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation quickly led to the identification of Ledet as the suspect. On September 23, 2020, Ledet was apprehended by members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Offender Task Force in East Baton Rouge Parish. During the trial, Lafayette police Detective Chad Parker testified that detectives were able to secure surveillance footage from the store, which captured the shooting. Additionally, Instagram photos linked to Ledet helped further implicate him in the crime.
District Attorney Don Landry praised the swift response of the Lafayette Police Department and the thoroughness of their investigation. “Another second-degree murder conviction shows Lafayette that we are putting these violent offenders in prison, and keeping our city safe for our citizens,” said Landry.
Assistant District Attorney Lance Beal, who prosecuted the case alongside Kaitlyn Mistretta and Cori Phelps, expressed gratitude toward the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence. “I want to commend Lafayette PD Detectives Chad Parker and Matt Broussard, whose great investigation allowed us to secure this murder conviction,” Beal stated. “Through this guilty verdict, the DA’s office and the jury let the citizens of Lafayette know that we will not tolerate this type of violent behavior.”
Ledet now faces a mandatory life sentence at hard labor due to the conviction of second-degree murder. Sentencing will be determined after a pre-sentence investigation is conducted by District Judge Krystian Earles, who presided over the trial.
This conviction serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of violent crime, as well as the community’s ongoing commitment to justice.