Convicted murderer Kayla Giles gets new attorney, sentencing hearing delayed

Kayla Giles, convicted in January in the slaying of her estranged husband, showed up for her sentencing hearing with a new attorney who asked the judge for a continuance.

The prosecution objected, and 9th Judicial District Court Judge Greg Beard asked why the change was made right before Giles' sentencing on second-degree murder and obstruction of justice convictions.

Giles, 35, was convicted of shooting her estranged husband, Thomas Coutee Jr., during a child swap of their then-2-year-old daughter at the Coliseum Boulevard Walmart in Alexandria on Sept. 8, 2018. Coutee died at the scene from a single gunshot wound to his chest.

The attorneys who represented her during the trial — lead attorney George Higgins III and co-counsel Rocky Willson, who also handled two federal lawsuits for her — were present because they had filed motions to withdraw from the case.

Beard granted those motions, telling Higgins the move was Giles' wish.

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Beard asked Giles' new attorney, Jane Hogan from Hammond, how long she had been representing Giles. About two weeks, she replied.

Hogan also said she was preparing to file motions in the case.

The judge paused before speaking, then told Hogan he was ready for the sentencing and had done all the necessary work. He asked her if the motions she wanted to file and whether they could be filed as the case goes through the appeal process.

She mentioned a motion for a new trial and a pre-sentencing report, among other standard post-conviction motions. Beard told her a pre-sentencing report would not be needed since he did that work himself.

While a second-degree murder conviction in Louisiana carries a mandatory life sentence, an obstruction of justice sentence can come with a range of sentencing options. Hogan said some of the work she needed to do concerned that.

After more discussion, Beard said he understood the constitutional issues for the "serious case" and that he wanted to make sure all issues with the district court were resolved before appeals.

He granted the continuance and set the new date for April 14. Defense motions must be submitted to the court by April 4, and the state has until April 11 to respond.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Kayla Giles sentencing in Thomas Coutee slaying moved to April 14