JEANERETTE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER

16th Judicial District Attorney, M. Michael Haik, III announces that:

     Jonas Hawk, 31, of Jeanerette, LA., pled guilty to manslaughter and felon in possession of a firearm on April 23, 2025, and was sentenced to sixty (60) years at hard labor.

     Hawk’s convictions stem from a drive-by shooting in February of 2020 at a family gathering in Jeanerette. One of Hawk’s shots struck the victim in the chest and the victim ultimately died as a result of his wounds.

     At the time, Hawk was prohibited from possessing a firearm, as he had a prior conviction for aggravated flight from an officer and was on probation for attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at the time of the offense.

     A jury trial was scheduled for Monday, April 28 in this matter. However, Hawk pled guilty to manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to sixty (60) years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

     Hawk was sentenced to the maximum on both charges—forty (40) years at hard labor for his manslaughter conviction and twenty (20) years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence for his possession of a firearm by a convicted felon conviction. The sentences are to run consecutively.