A Welsh man has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge in the fatal shooting of a Jennings man during a crowded Thanksgiving gathering in 2019.

Jayden Grant Theunissen, 23, agreed to plead no contest to manslaughter Wednesday in the 31st Judicial District Court. The charge was amended from second-degree murder.

Theunissen was accused of shooting Dakota Chiasson, 22, during a private party at the Toby Ward Event Hall on South Main Street in Jennings on Nov. 29, 2019.

Theunissen was found guilty of second-degree murder in March 2020 and later pled not guilty to the charge. He would have faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Charges were dismissed against seven other co-defendants arrested in connection with the deadly shooting after a grand jury found insufficient evidence to pursue the charges.

In exchange for the no contest plea, Thuenissen was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison with all but five years suspended with credit for time served and three years supervised probation upon his release. Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.

A no contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.

District Attorney Lauren Heinen said Chiasson’s family was consulted about the plea deal.

“We worked closely with the victim’s family to get this case resolved,” Heinen said. “This was a 2019 case that was inherited by our office and the victim’s family was ready for closure.”

Heinen said the Jennings Police Department did a phenomenal job of investigating the case, but said the evidence made the case difficult for prosecutors. A murder weapon was never recovered, she said.

“The evidence being what it was, allowed us to obtain a conviction for manslaughter,” she said.

The sentencing will also bring closure to the victim’s family, she said.

“When it comes to the victims our office strives to continually make them a part of the process because it’s part of the journey of healing,” she said. “While a conviction will never bring back a loved one, our sincere hope is that it allows families some closure and allows them to move forward with the grieving process while obtaining justice.”

Traces Chiasson, the victim’s mother, read a victim impact statement in court before the sentencing.

Defense attorney was John Vidrine. The prosecutor was Assistant District Attorney Burleigh Doga.