I-TEAM: Grand jury weighs in on negligent homicide, hit-and-run charges for deadly crash involving son of former NFL player

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The criminal case against Walter Brister IV is moving forward after a grand jury was called to consider felony hit-and-run and negligent homicide charges against him last month. Brister’s case has spent nearly two years in limbo after police arrested him in October of 2022 for allegedly running over and killing a man on Burbank Drive and then leaving the scene.

That man, Jude Jarreau, was walking along Burbank Drive near Ben Hur Road after an LSU game, police said. Jarreau, a father of two, died from his injuries.

Brister IV retained high-profile defense attorney John McClendon who was able to work with the office of District Attorney Hillar Moore to allow his client to turn himself in for arrest days after the crash. McClendon explained that he waited to turn Brister over to the police because the courts were closed for a holiday. McClendon said that Brister IV left the scene that night because the man did not realize that he’d run over someone.

McClendon previously told WAFB that the law blocks him from commenting on specific evidence related to the case. Specifically, McClendon could not say whether Brister IV had been drinking before the crash.

Brister IV was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on a felony hit-and-run charge. His mugshot was not made public because state law blocks the release of booking photos for offenses deemed “non-violent.” He was later released on a $10,000 bond.

When asked about the delay in bringing the case before a grand jury, Moore explained that the nature of the case warranted a longer review.

“Every case is different. I have found that cases of this nature typically require a longer period to review,” said Moore. He also blamed staff changes in his office for the delay.

In an updated statement provided to WAFB Monday, March 11, McClendon said that Brister’s family was “devastated” about the crash and said that they were ‘thinking and praying for the Jarreau family.”

Brister IV is the son of former NFL quarterback “Bubby” Brister.

According to court records, the grand jury chose to pretermit the negligent homicide charge, meaning a majority of grand jury members could not reach a decision. Prosecutors will be able to present the case again to have the grand jury consider moving forward with the charge.

The grand jury chose to move forward with hit-and-run charges against Brister IV.

He is due back in court in April.

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