DA Williams to try Bridge City escapee and accomplice as adults in Uptown carjacking, shooting

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office is planning to try two juveniles as adults for allegedly carjacking and shooting a man in Uptown New Orleans after one of them escaped the troubled Bridge City facility in July.

A Special Grand Jury indicted Kendell Myles, 17, and Kayla Smith, 16, on Thurs., Sept. 15 on charges related to the carjacking and shooting of 59-year-old Scott Toups. Myles was indicted for attempted second-degree murder and armed robbery, among other charges. Smith was indicted on two armed robbery charges.

Police say Myles shot Toups twice and took his car. Toups remains in intensive care fighting for life. His wife, Stacie says he is conscious, but back on the ventilator. He takes one step forward and three steps back.

“He’s [Myles] not new to this and whether or not he gets 100 years, 120 years, 50 years, That’s fine with me. I want him to pay the price. My husband is paying the price. My family is paying the price.” Toups said.

District Attorney Jason Williams says Myles was already sentenced to juvenile life for a separate violent crime when he escaped the facility, meaning he will be in jail at least until the age of 21.

“If this case were to remain in juvenile court, this would mean that Myles would have no accountability for these horrible actions and my office will not allow that,” Williams said in a statement. “I still believe in handling juvenile matters in the juvenile system to ensure developmentally appropriate adjudication of young people, the juvenile sentencing limits would be inadequate to ensure that these young people are appropriately held accountable for these crimes.”

Officials have pushed to close the Bridge City juvenile detention center, prompting Governor John Bel Edwards to unveil a plan to transfer the violent offenders to the old Death Row facility at Angola.

In late April, Williams also decided to try four teenagers accused of carjacking Linda Frickey and dragging her to death as adults on second-degree murder charges, echoing similar sentiments.

“Four or five years is just not enough,” he said. “The juvenile sentencing limits would be inadequate to ensure that these young people are appropriately held accountable for taking a life.”

“Every minute the law allows me I will be there in that courtroom,” Toups said. “I have to be his voice his advocate. He can’t speak he’s got a tube in his throat. Breathing on a machine breathing for him. It is my job as his wife of 33 years to be his voice here in the city, which I’m hard to get rid of. I am not going to let someone brush this under the rug. I will not forget and I will not give up until justice is done.”

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