Family members of the Baton Rouge man who was shot dead while panhandling outside a Trader Joe’s stormed out of a courtroom in tears and anger Tuesday morning after a judge sentenced the man convicted of killing him to 18 months in prison.
District Judge Brad Myers imposed the sentence on Jace Orion Boyd, who was ruled guilty in the Aug. 22, 2020 slaying 61-year-old Danny Buckley. At the end of a murder trial in April, a jury found Boyd guilty of manslaughter for gunning Buckley down during a confrontation in the parking lot of the Perkins Road grocery store.
Boyd faced up to 40 years when he stood before Judge Myers inside a packed courtroom Tuesday. Myers said it was a sentencing decision he “thought long and hard about” and noted that the shooting was a violent crime in which Boyd used a dangerous weapon to cause a devastating loss to Buckley’s loved ones.
Boyd was arrested six days after the shooting and released from jail about a week later, records show. He remained free on bond for more than 3 1/2 years while he awaited trial
But the fact that Boyd had no prior arrests or convictions, called the police immediately after the fatal shooting and cooperated in the investigation without hiding any evidence weighed in his decision, he said.
“Your conduct under these circumstances is unlikely to occur again,” the judge said. “And I find that a long-term period of incarceration will cause an excess of hardship to you and your dependents.”
It was a gut punch for Buckley’s family, who stood outside the courtroom afterward, struggling to absorb what they described as an absurdly lenient sentence. His son, Donell Buckley, was visibly shellshocked as he fumed alongside loved ones and spectators.
“I feel like justice wasn’t served,” he said. “Justice is still Black and White. If it was the other way around – 18 months? – it would’ve been more than that. People get 18 months for traffic tickets, not for murder or manslaughter. We did all this for nothing.”
Danny Buckley, the victim, was Black. Both Boyd and Judge Myers are White.
“It’s a slap to the face of the family,” Donell Buckley said. “The justice system is not right. If you’re a person of color, you’re behind. It would’ve never worked that way if it was the other way around. Never.”
Boyd, 28, was indicted for second-degree murder but escaped a mandatory life sentence at trial. He claimed self-defense, saying Danny Buckley was aggressively harassing him other shoppers while asking for money in the Trader Joe’s parking lot. He sought to convince jurors that he shot Buckley as the victim advanced toward him and his fiancé and threatened to kill him.
But prosecutors noted that Buckley was unarmed and dismantled Boyd’s justifiable homicide argument by proving the victim posed no threat, according to testimony from other shoppers who witnessed the shooting.
Jurors deliberated for more than eight hours on April 11 before convicting him of the lesser included charge of manslaughter. The panel could not reach a verdict on Boyd’s indictment for illegal use of a weapon and Judge Myers declared a mistrial on that count.
Seven days after the verdict, Myers set a $300,000 bail for Boyd, reinstituting his pre-trial bond to allow for his post-conviction release. Officials said Boyd could not make the bond payment and remained in jail for the nearly eight weeks leading up to Tuesday’s sentencing.
Donell Buckley wrote a statement that prosecutors read during the hearing in which he asked the judge to give Buckley “exactly what he deserves.”
“Jace Boyd could’ve just walked away, but instead he chose to kill my father, my kids’ grandfather, my sisters’ dad,” his letter stated. “Even after your gun jammed, you carried through with the execution of my unarmed father with a sense of pride. Never any remorse.”
Donell’s mother, JoAnne Chatman, re-emphasized the notion that Boyd had a moment to think twice about shooting Buckley after his pistol misfired and “make a second decision.” But prosecutors told jurors Boyd reloaded a round into his gun and fired a bullet the hit Buckley in the stomach.
“He (Danny Buckley) didn’t deserve to die like that,” Chatman said. “He was a good man, regardless of what he did.”
Neither Boyd or his attorney made a statement during the hearing.
When Judge Myers announced his sentence, both Chatman and Donell Buckley rushed out of the courtroom in disbelief. Victim advocates consoled them in the hallway and other attorneys had to comfort trial prosecutors, who were emotional after also comforting the grief-stricken family members.
Myers said Boyd felt he had grounds to take lethal action against Buckley, but that was a theory proven wrong at trial.
“Obviously the jury found you guilty of manslaughter and did not accept that you acted in self-defense, although you steadfastly maintained that you did,” the judge said. “Of course, you and every other citizen has a right to carry a firearm under the Second Amendment, but that right comes with an awesome responsibility to use that firearm in a reasonable and responsible manner. When you made the decision to fire your gun, you took the risk of the exact outcome we saw in this case.”
The judge went on to cite nullifying evidence that factored into his sentencing decision, such as Boyd’s consistent work history, his supportive family and the fact that Buckley’s son has an wrongful death lawsuit against Boyd, seeking punitive damages in civil court.
“Obviously, as an attorney, I have to respect the rule of law and the judge controls the sentence. But we’re disappointed,” said Ryan Thompson, who’s representing Donell Buckley in the lawsuit. “I’ve never seen a manslaughter where someone’s gotten less than 20 years.”
East Baton Rouge Attorney Moore agreed that a longer prison stint was warranted based on facts and circumstances developed at Boyd’s trial.
“His comments in the pre-sentence Investigation were simply that he acted in self-defense,” Moore said in a statement. “He has not expressed any level of remorse or apologized to the victim's family. While on bond, he exhibited a lack of respect for the judicial system by testing positive for marijuana, leaving the jurisdiction without judicial authorization and absconding for a period of time.
“Judges face difficult decisions, particularly when setting bonds and imposing sentence” Moore added. “We respectfully disagree with this honorable court's decision to sentence Jace Boyd to only 18 months of incarceration.”