Eunice man indicted in his brother’s shooting death

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Jonah Gobert, 29, was indicted by a St. Landry Parish Grand Jury for killing his brother, Benjamin Hurks on Sept. 8, 2019.
A true bill charging Gobert with second-degree murder was returned by jurors on Nov. 17 to 27th Judicial District Court Judge Alonzo Harris.
Eunice Police found Gobert, of the 800 block of South Beulah Street, crying loudly in the apartment where his brother was slumped over a sofa bed with a gun shot wound to the head, Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said after the incident.
Police were called to the apartment at about 8 p.m.
Hurks was pronounced dead at the scene by a representative from the St. Landry Parish Coroner’s Office.
A .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the scene.
Gobert was taken into custody on a warrant for an Aug. 23, incident in which he was charged with criminal damage to property, simple assault and aggravated battery. The aggravated battery charge is a felony offense.
The Aug. 23 incident occurred at the same apartment complex. Gobert is accused of punching someone in the jaw, pulling a gun on the victim and striking a vehicle containing the victim with a pipe, Fontenot said.
Police were trying to locate Gobert since that incident, he said.
Grand jurors returned three other true bills.
Phillip DeWoody, 53, of the 1600 block of Kerr Street, Opelousas was indicted for first-degree in the death of Joyce Thomas in February and first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping, also in February.
Phillip Guidry, 56, of the 200 block of Honeysuckle Drive, Opelousas, was indicted for first-degree rape in July 1. News report after his arrest idicated the victim was a juvenile.
A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, or the death penalty.
A second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
A first-degree rape conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, and/or the death penalty when the victim is under the age of 13.