Lafayette DA Says Brandon Lavergne May Be Tried For Shunick, Pate Cases Together
As we reported last week, Brandon Lavergne was indicted by a grand jury in Lafayette for the first degree murder of the still-missing Mickey Shunick.
But in a shocking twist in the case, Lavergne was also charged with the first degree murder of Lisa Pate, an Acadia Parish woman who was found dead in 1999. Now the Lafayette Parish District attorney is saying that both cases may be tried together.
The murders of Mickey Shunick and Lisa Pate may go before a jury at the same time, District Attorney Mike Harson said.
"As of right now, I believe the two cases will be tried together," he wrote in an e-mail response to The Daily Advertiser's inquiries Monday.
Brandon Scott Lavergne, 33, of Swords in rural St. Landry Parish, was indicted by a grand jury last week for the first-degree murder of Shunick and Pate.
Harson also said it could take up to three years to bring Lavergne to trial.
"It is not uncommon to take up to three years to get capital cases to trial so a two-year estimate may, in fact, be optimistic," he wrote.