Parents of woman found dead on couch indicted again

CLINTON, La. (WAFB) - The parents of a woman found dead on a couch were indicted again for second-degree murder on Monday, June 19, according to prosecutors.

The new indictment came weeks after a district judge dropped previous murder charges for the parents of 36-year-old Lacey Fletcher, due to the wording of that indictment. Lacey Fletcher was found deceased at her parents’ home in Slaughter on January 3, 2022.

District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla brought the case back before a different grand jury, leading to the indictment of Clay and Sheila Fletcher on Monday, June 19.

Authorities found Fletcher lying on a 1960′s-style sofa with urine and feces everywhere around her. The coroner’s office explained that the woman’s parents were away on a weekend trip when she died. The parents reportedly claimed their daughter had extreme social anxiety and autism.

A grand jury of 12 in Clinton first indicted Lacey Fletcher’s parents, Clay and Sheila, with second-degree murder back on May 2, 2022.

The couple was expected to stand trial for the charges later this month.

But at a hearing on May 30, District Judge Kathryn Jones with the 20th JDC, granted a motion to quash the indictment. That action came after questions regarding the wording of the indictment by defense attorneys.

D’Aquilla told WAFB the defense brought up three reasons to quash the indictment. The first was for no specific intent, the judge denied that reason. The second was not signed by the foreperson, the judge denied that one. And the third was the wording on the indictment, which the judge granted.

WAFB reached out to the Fletchers’ defense attorney, Steve Moore, who had no comment at this time.

The couple remains out on bond at this time.

D’Aquilla is hopeful to have a new trial date before the end of the year.