A New Orleans jury convicted Kelvin Atkins of second-degree murder and firearm possession in the July 2023 killing of his former girlfriend, Johnshane “Nay” Powell. The verdict followed a weeklong trial and more than two years of proceedings in Orleans Parish, according to NOLA.com.
Powell, 33, was found wounded in the 2400 block of New Orleans Street on July 3, 2023, and later died. Prosecutors said she identified Atkins before her death. They also presented evidence that she had reported domestic abuse shortly before the shooting. Defense attorney Ryan Thompson challenged the identification and argued that investigators did not recover fingerprint or DNA evidence directly linking Atkins to the weapon, the outlet reported.
A conviction after an earlier deadlocked trial
The case had already produced a partial outcome. An earlier jury deadlocked on the principal charges but convicted Atkins of obstruction of justice and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Calvin Johnson sentenced him to 60 years on those counts as a repeat offender, according to the trial account.
The Louisiana Supreme Court appointed Johnson, a retired judge, after Powell’s aunt, Criminal District Court Judge Kimya Holmes, recused herself. Other Orleans Parish criminal court judges also stepped aside because of potential conflicts, according to WWL-TV.
What the conviction means for sentencing
Johnson has set sentencing for Nov. 6. Under Louisiana’s second-degree-murder statute, the conviction carries mandatory life imprisonment at hard labor without parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Louisiana House Resolution No. 322 describes that penalty as mandatory and non-discretionary and establishes a task force to examine the definition, application and sentencing structure for second-degree murder. The task force’s report is due by Feb. 1, 2027, according to the Louisiana Legislature.
The case has also generated appellate litigation. In May 2025, the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal reversed an order suppressing statements Atkins made before trial; the opinion also discusses an allegation that he violated a protective order, according to the published appellate decision.
Local fatality data provide limited context
Powell’s death occurred in a city where official reviews have repeatedly identified firearm access and prior domestic violence involving law-enforcement contact among recurring factors in domestic-abuse fatalities. The New Orleans Health Department’s 2022 fatality-review report identified 24 domestic-abuse fatalities in Orleans Parish and compiled 17 case summaries for review. The report describes recurring risk factors but does not establish that any one factor caused Powell’s death or that officials failed in this case.
The department’s 2021 review found that firearms were used in 62% of New Orleans domestic-abuse fatalities that year. That figure is a historical local measure, not a direct comparison with the 2023 killing and not evidence by itself of a continuing trend. The reviews also identify prior strangulation, firearm access, substance misuse and a history of domestic violence involving law-enforcement contact as recurring factors, according to the 2022 report and 2021 report.
The prosecution centered on Powell’s identification, the circumstances surrounding the shooting and evidence of the prior relationship. The defense disputed key parts of that account and has said it will pursue further options. Powell’s daughters were 4 and 8 when she was killed.
