A Jefferson Parish jury on Friday convicted Arsenio Adams in a 2019 Old Jefferson triple shooting that left one man dead and two others wounded. Jurors spent about two and a half hours in deliberations before returning the verdict, according to court records. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 10, 2026.
According to NOLA.com, the jury found Adams guilty of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and simple cruelty to animals, and also convicted him as a felon in possession of a weapon. Jurors acquitted him on a charge of aggravated criminal damage to property. Court records reviewed in reporting list the full set of counts returned by jurors.
How Investigators Described the Night
Investigators say Adams showed up at a Clermont Street home just before 12:30 a.m. on May 14, 2019, to demand repayment of a drug debt. He briefly left, then returned and allegedly identified himself as a police officer while banging on the door, moments before shots were fired inside.
Sterling Woods, described by authorities as a 62-year-old handyman and father of four, was struck eight times and later died. Woods’ girlfriend was shot in the shoulder, and another man was hit in the arm. Court filings indicate Woods fired a pistol into the floor during the struggle.
Fugitive Arrest and What Comes Next
After the shootings, Adams fled Louisiana and was tracked to a house in Douglasville, Georgia, where authorities arrested him on May 28, 2019, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
With Friday’s guilty verdict, the case now moves to a sentencing hearing set for Aug. 10, 2026, when a judge will decide Adams’ punishment.
Impact and Aftermath
Friends and neighbors remembered Woods as a hardworking handyman and father whose killing reverberated through the Old Jefferson neighborhood, as detailed by NOLA.com. For his family, the verdict brings a measure of closure to a long-running case and caps years of investigative work that led deputies to track and arrest a suspect out of state.
