Two accused in fatal shooting of French Quarter tour guide plead not guilty
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Two men who were charged in the investigation of the fatal shooting of a French Quarter tour guide in June have pled not guilty.
On June 30, New Orleans Police Department officers responded to the 700 block of St. Peter Street, where they found 43-year-old Kristie Thibodeaux with a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
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According to the NOPD, Thibodeaux was shot at while sitting inside her car.
In July, the NOPD reported that 17-year-old Jerben Albarec, 19-year-old Joshua Aviala-Bonifacio and 15-year-old Kevin Nunez were arrested in connection with the investigation.
NOPD detectives stated the shooting happened as a result of an attempted armed robbery.
On July 10, the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported that Aviala-Bonifacio allegedly entered the United States illegally on an unknown date.
- This photo provided by the Crawl Entertainment Group in July 2024 shows Kristie Thibodeaux. She was shot to death as she sat in her car early on the morning of June 30, 2024, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Police say the suspects in her death had carried out a string of robberies. (Crawl Entertainment Group via AP)
- Jerben Albarec (Courtesy: Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office)
- Joshua Aviala-Bonifacio (Courtesy: Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office)
In August, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office announced that Nunez, Albarec and Aviala-Bonifacio were each indicted on a charge of second-degree murder. Albarec and Aviala-Bonifacio were also indicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
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On Wednesday, Albarec and Aviala-Bonifacio pleaded not guilty to their charges, and bond was set for each at $1 million for the second-degree murder charge and $100,000 for the conspiracy to commit armed robbery charge,
Nunez is set to be arraigned on Sept. 9, and he will be tried as an adult.
A discovery hearing for the case was set for Sept. 27.
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