Joshua Every, a 32-year-old man from Laplace, has accepted a life sentence at hard labor without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence after pleading guilty to the first-degree murder of Taylor Friloux during a 2016 robbery at a Kenner Raising Cane’s, effectively avoiding a potential death sentence. The Jefferson Parish judge's decision was handed down on Thursday, as reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
The plea agreement came right before the scheduled trial date of Oct. 14 and was part of a negotiated deal with the state, which had initially planned to possibly seek the death penalty against Every. Instead, the admission of guilt has now definitively put Every behind bars for life for the murder that occurred on June 29, 2016. Taylor Friloux, who was then 21 years old and a shift manager at the restaurant, suffered a brutal stabbing by Every, who had jointly planned to rob the establishment with his associates, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
During the robbery, Every, unprovoked, attacked Friloux at the rear entrance before forcing her inside the restaurant to the manager’s office where, after obtaining $1,000, he stabbed her repeatedly—resulting in injuries that led to her death hours later in a hospital intensive care unit. "She was not yours to take, but you did it anyway," Friloux’s mother said to Every, as she delivered a victim-impact statement while holding her daughter’s urn, as noted by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office release.
In imposing Every's sentence, Judge Lee Faulkner of the 24th Judicial District Court also sentenced him to additional terms for other charges related to the crime, including armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, although these sentences are to run concurrently with his life sentence. "Enjoy your stay in your new gated community of Angola," Friloux’s mother’s partner wryly told Every at the sentencing. Every's co-defendants have pleaded guilty as well, including Mark Crocklen and Gregory Donald, who have received prison terms of 40 and 89 years, respectively, while a fourth person, Ariana Runner, is yet to be sentenced, as stated by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
Friloux's cousin, present at the time of her death in the ICU, asked Every during the hearing about her last words, to which Every said nothing. A Raising Cane’s coworker and robbery victim said, "The person you took away was a good person who deserved to be here today," indicating the depth of loss felt by those who knew Friloux. While Every's actions cannot be undone, the plea serves to bring an undeniable closure and a semblance of justice to the loved ones of Taylor Friloux, as per the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
