Morgan City man pleads guilty to murder charge

A Morgan City man’s guilty plea on a murder charge means he’ll serve life in prison without parole, the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office said.

Louis Foret, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Feb. 1 as the trial was set to begin in the February 2021 shooting death of Chance Benoit.

The District Attorney’s Office quoted Foret as saying, “I’m just doing what I feel is the right thing to do.”

Foret shot Benoit multiple times at the victim’s home in Thibodaux, the District Attorney’s Office said.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office an investigation that revealed that Foret went to the victim’s home on a February night in 2021, the DA's Office said.

After the two talked for a while, Foret began physically assaulting the victim.

The violent attack progressed, and the victim was shot dead, the District Attorney's Office said.

“We took no position on the plea as we cannot prevent him from exercising his constitutional right to enter into the plea of guilty,” said Assistant District Attorney Jason Chatagnier, who prosecuted the case along with Assistant District Attorney Melody Bridgewater. “We were prepared to proceed with the trial. This plea, though, yielded the same results that a guilty verdict from a trial would yield. Our goal was to obtain justice, and we feel we have achieved that.”

In Louisiana, second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

In addition to his plea of guilty, Foret waived his formal sentencing date and wished to be sentenced immediately.

District Judge Rebecca Robichaux, who presided over the proceeding, handed down the mandatory life sentence.