On Wednesday, Tyrone Constant was found guilty by a Jefferson Parish jury for the attempted murder of a 20-year-old pizza business employee. During a chilling incident on May 23, 2020, Constant attacked the young woman with a machete-type knife, causing her to undergo 15 surgeries and years of physical therapy. The deliberation lasted a brief 25 minutes before reaching a verdict of attempted second-degree murder, as reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
The attack occurred inside a West Bank business where the victim and another co-worker, aged 52, were working late on a Saturday during Memorial Day weekend. Constant, previously known to the employees by his first name, entered the establishment, conversed with the victim, and within minutes, proceeded to violently assault her without any clear provocation. The other employee managed to call 911 from a neighboring business, after witnessing Constant "hacking" at her coworker, according to testimony she gave during the trial.
Evidence leading to Constant's identification and arrest was gathered swiftly. Detectives, aided by an anonymous tip and subsequent identification by the victim and her co-worker, were able to present a photographic lineup including Constant. According to the information obtained by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office, the co-worker was "100-percent certain" that Constant was the attacker. A patrol deputy eventually apprehended Constant at a convenience store days later, recognizing him from a wanted bulletin.
Throughout the trial, Constant's defense attorney questioned the identification of his client by the victim and the coworker. They also critiqued the Sheriff's Office's investigation techniques, especially their failure to obtain fingerprints from the scene to definitively confirm the perpetrator's identity. Notably, Constant was tried in absentia after he chose not to leave his cell for the proceedings. His sentencing by Judge Jacqueline Maloney is scheduled for February 21, as stated by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
