Landan Collette, who had previously pled guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of twenty-six-year-old Cole Horton, was sentenced on January 15, 2024.
The conviction arises out of the January 10, 2022 death of Cole Horton. The defendant had a verbal disagreement with the victim, who had arrived at Collette’s home to retrieve a piece of jewelry that belonged to the victim. Collette pulled out a firearm and shot the unarmed victim approximately five times before fleeing the scene. Cole Horton died as a result of his wounds.
The St. Martin Sheriff’s investigation and lab results showed that Collette was positive for
gunshot residue shortly after the homicide and casings from the scene matched the firearm located in the defendant’s vehicle. Collette also made statements to other individuals confirming he shot the victim.
At the sentencing hearing, the Honorable Lewis H. Pitman, Jr., heard victim impact testimony from the family members of Cole Horton as well as the lead detective from the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, G. Seneca. The court ultimately sentenced the defendant to serve thirty-three (33) years at hard labor. The sentencing range for manslaughter is zero to forty years at hard labor.
Assistant District Attorney Alister Charrier prosecuted the case. The case was investigated by the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab.