A judge in state district court set a $5 million bond for a Sulphur man indicted on a second-degree murder charge Thursday in relation to the death of an infant.

Trent Dubroc, 24, is accused of throwing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old child against a wall out of frustration, killing the infant.

A grand jury in 14th Judicial District Court also returned a manslaughter indictment against Iowa man Austin James Soileau, 19, accused of killing DeQuincy man Chad Babineaux, 30, in a bar fight on Sept. 14.

Dubroc was originally charged with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, on which Judge Michael Canaday set a $1.5 million bond.

Judge David Ritchie agreed to the bond increase after Thursday’s indictment.

“A couple factors went into it: Mr. Dubroc was a fugitive from justice and had a bench warrant pending when these new charges arose, as well as the seriousness of the charge,” prosecutor David Palay said. “We’re dealing with the murder of an infant child. Just the type of person that would go to those lengths that would cause the death of a child like this, I think the judge took that into consideration as far as the seriousness of the charge.”

Palay said that in “over 20 years of practicing criminal court, I can think of only a handful of cases that have had similar bonds as this.”

Dubroc also faces a charge of video voyeurism and a contempt of court charge for failing to appear Sept. 20 on the video voyeurism charge.

Dubroc took the baby out of the crib, threw the infant across the room, then returned the child to the crib without telling anyone, Calcasieu Sheriff Tony Mancuso said.

Manslaughter indictment

Soileau was initially charged with second-degree battery, although the charges were upgraded to second-degree murder after Babineaux died the day after the alleged incident at On the Rocks, an E. McNeese Street bar where Babineaux was employed.

Authorities said Babineaux was attempting to break up a fight when he was hit. When officers arrived, they found Babineaux unresponsive on the floor. He was later declared brain dead by doctors.

(MGNonline)

Trent Dubroc