Michael A. Harris, a 36-year-old Terrytown resident, was sentenced to consecutive life sentences for the first-degree murders of a couple in Marrero, Jefferson Parish. This sentence was handed down on September 3rd, following a jury conviction on August 1st. The verdict, which was reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, came after Harris was found guilty of fatally shooting David Sumera, 36, and Alexxis Eymard, 26, from the back seat of a Ford Ranger parked in a home's driveway on September 24, 2022.
The sentencing hearing not only brought closure to the case but had also Harris to receive an additional 20-year term for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a charge stemming from his previous drug convictions. Notably, Judge Raymond Steib ordered these sentences to run consecutively, ensuring that Harris would never have the chance to effectively navigate outside the confines of prison walls again, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant District Attorney Matt Clauss had painted a grim picture of the couple's last moments during the trial. "Their last moments on Earth were filled with the smell of gun smoke and the sound of gunfire," he told jurors, as reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office. Surveillance footage played a crucial role in the case, showing Harris, with his identity obscured, exiting the vehicle moments after the crime and walking away with a black bag similar to one owned by Sumera. Analysts discovered DNA consistent with Harris on the vehicle and on a shirt discarded nearby, further implicating him in the crime.
Despite the lack of eyewitnesses, the genealogical evidence and video surveillance seemed to unambiguously tie Harris to the brutal act. His attorneys argued that the DNA could have been left at any prior time, questioning the timing and suggesting that Sumera might have been targeted due to his dealings with law enforcement. The jury remained unpersuaded, deliberating for almost three hours before reaching their verdict, as reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement to the court during sentencing, Sumera's younger sister and the mother of his child spoke of the profound loss inflicted by Harris. "David was my protector through a traumatic childhood," his sister testified. The mother of his son expressed that while Sumera "made a lot of mistakes in his life ... his life mattered." "You didn’t just take David’s life. You shattered ours," she told Harris in a statement that laid bare the ripple effects of the murders upon their family. After denying a defense motion for a new trial, Judge Steib confirmed the sentence that promised no future outside prison for Harris, as stated by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office.
