A judge rejected a proposed plea agreement for Nayiondra Woolridge, who is charged with killing 25-year-old Brittany Ussin. Ussin, a mother of six, was shot and killed in Algiers in April 2024 after a confrontation linked to a social media dispute. Her family appeared in court this week to oppose the agreement, according to WWL-TV.
Ussin's family went to court Tuesday to oppose an agreement the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office wanted to offer the accused shooter, according to WWL-TV. Montrice Ussin, Brittany's mother, described feeling betrayed, disrespected and unsupported by the process, the station reported. “Parents who lose a child should not face complications in seeking justice,” she said, according to the same report.
The killing stemmed from a social media feud between Brittany's sister, Breanna, and another person that escalated into an arranged meet-up, the station reported. That meet-up turned into a physical fight caught on camera, followed by a deadly shooting, per WWL-TV's account. Police arrested 32-year-old Nayiondra Woolridge in connection with Brittany's death, and she was charged with second-degree murder as well as aggravated assault.
What Happened at McDonough Playground
The shooting took place on April 22, 2024, in the 300 block of Ptolemy Street near McDonough Playground in Algiers, following a physical altercation between two groups of women that had its roots in a social media dispute, according to Crime Solvers Central. Eyewitness statements and cellphone footage recorded at the scene showed Ussin attempting to break up the fighting by spraying a substance at participants shortly before Woolridge drove up and fired a gun into the crowd, per the same outlet's account. New Orleans Police Department officers arrested Woolridge on April 24, 2024, and booked her into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on charges of second-degree murder, simple battery, and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, the outlet reported, noting that homicide detectives identified her using video recordings and witness statements.
Brittany Ussin's family did not know what the original social media feud was actually about, according to WWL-TV. Michael Willis, Ussin's uncle, publicly criticized bystanders who filmed the fight rather than stepping in to stop it, telling the station that bullets can hit anyone. Willis is the founder of Helping Other People Endure, known as HOPE, a New Orleans organization focused on youth support and gun violence intervention.
Family Says Judge's Rejection Opens a Window
Carol Jones, whom WWL-TV identified as connected to the case, said she believed the judge rejected the plea deal because the family opposed it in court. Jones said the decision gives the family more time to gather information as the case proceeds. Louisiana's constitution guarantees crime victims and designated family members reasonable notice, the opportunity to confer with prosecutors, and the right to be present and heard at critical stages of court proceedings, according to the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office.
Under Louisiana criminal procedure, trial judges retain broad discretionary authority to accept or reject plea bargains negotiated between prosecutors and defense attorneys, according to the John D. and Eric G. Johnson Law Firm. That discretion matters here: roughly 90% to 97% of state and federal criminal convictions nationally are resolved through negotiated plea agreements rather than trial verdicts, per an analysis from Phillips Law, making this family's successful objection an outlier in how these cases typically end.
Violence Prevention Beyond the Case
At a January 7, 2026, press conference, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Rogers Williams said New Orleans’ homicide rate was the lowest in 50 years, according to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. Separately, Tulane University’s Violence Prevention Institute describes a New Orleans Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative that brings together city agencies, community organizations, hospitals and researchers to address firearm violence. The description outlines the initiative’s approach but does not provide a specific outcome measure, according to the Tulane University Violence Prevention Institute.
Case Now Headed Toward a Late November Trial
Montrice Ussin told WWL-TV that the trial date gave the family hope and more time to prepare. The family plans to use the time before trial to address the credibility of the social media video showing the fight, the station reported. Woolridge's trial on the second-degree murder charge is set for late November 2026.
A conviction for second-degree murder under Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:30.1 carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, according to the LSU Law Digital Commons. WWL Louisiana reported that it contacted the District Attorney's Office and the defendant's attorney for comment, but neither had responded by the time of publication.
The case had already drawn national attention before this week's court fight. The NOPD's homicide investigation into Ussin's killing was featured in February 2025 in an episode of the A&E crime documentary series Homicide Squad: New Orleans, which focused on the lead detective's work on the case, according to listings on Apple TV.
