(Metro Creative Services)

Jurors in Jeff Davis Parish will be spared from viewing autopsy photos in the death of a severely malnourished 12-year-old Lake Arthur boy.

Judge Steve Gunnell of the 31st Judicial District Court has ruled that jurors will not be shown autopsy photos of the victim, Brogan Nash Duhon, during his parent’s murder trial. No date has been set for the trial.

The decision came after a request for exclusion by defense attorneys Tim Cassidy, representing Jennifer Ann Duhon, 44, and Bill Riley, representing Adam Duhon, 44, during a hearing earlier this week.

The Duhons are facing second-degree murder charges related to the death of their son, Brogan. He passed away on Oct. 17, 2022, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

An autopsy report later indicated Brogan’s death was due to complications from malnutrition and ruled the manner of death a homicide. The Jeff Davis Parish coroner did not receive the autopsy report until Jan. 10, 2023.

The autopsy was not conducted until Oct. 24, 2022, which was three days after Brogan’s body had already been embalmed for his funeral.

Based on arguments from both the defense attorneys and Assistant District Attorney Torrie Thibodeaux regarding the admission of autopsy photos, Gunnell has ruled that the photos are not necessary for the jury.

The defense argued that Brogan’s pre-existing health conditions and the fact that he had been embalmed prior to the autopsy would prevent the photos from accurately depicting the cause of death. The prosecutor contends that the jury should have access to all evidence.

Gunnell concluded that the potential for the photos to be prejudicial, possibly leading the jury to a guilty verdict based solely on the images, outweighed their necessity. However, the findings of the autopsy itself will be admissible for the jury’s consideration, he said.

The Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office was informed by the Louisiana Department of Family and Services about a pending investigation into the boy’s death on Oct. 19, 2022 –  two days after his death.

The sheriff’s office immediately initiated a criminal investigation. As part of the investigation, detectives interviewed neighbors and family members and obtained medical records.

The Duhons were arrested in February 2023 and indicted on second-degree murder charges by a grand jury in April 2023.

If convicted of second-degree murder, the parents would face life in prison without parole.

The couple currently remains in the parish jail, each under a $1 million bond.