Hearing held for death row inmate in Caddo Parish, Darrell Dewayne Draughn

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - A hearing was held Thursday, April 17 in Caddo District Court for a death row inmate who is trying to appeal his sentence.

A death warrant for Darrell Dewayne Draughn, 54, was issued March 24. His legal team filed an opposition to the warrant not longer after.

For the time being, his execution date in late May has been put on pause.

Draughn was convicted of first-degree murder after killing Lauretta White on April 10, 2000. A jury unanimously found him guilty of the murder on July 1, 2003. Then on May 17, 2004, he was sentenced to be put to death. On Jan. 17, 2007, the state supreme court affirmed Draughn’s conviction and sentence. Draughn’s legal team sought a review of the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which was denied Nov. 5, 2007.

More legal back and forth continued through around 2011. There has been no movement in the case for more than 17 years now.

The state recently put to death its first inmate in 15 years. Jessie Hoffman Jr. was executed using nitrogen gas. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has been pushing to clear the state’s backlog of inmates on death row.

There are several other inmates on death row in Caddo Parish. They are:

• Laderick Campbell
• Nathaniel Code
• Michael Cooks
• Percy Davis
• Curtis Deal
• Felton Dorsey
• Cedric Edwards
• Bobby Hamilton
• Daniel Irish
• Marcus Reed
• Lamondre Tucker
• James Tyler

Reed’s legal team also appealed his death warrant, which was issued March 26. No decision was made in his case during a hearing held April 15.

Reed was scheduled to be executed June 4. That has been put on pause.