St. James man gets 40 years following 2016 robbery

On May 17, 2018, a St. James Parish jury found 32-year-old Maurice Honor of 1447 Old Spanish Trail Paradis, La. guilty of 1 st Degree Robbery. Honor was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Adam Koenig, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Jessie LeBlanc. This conviction comes following the 2016 robbery of a St. James Parish convenience store.

On January 17, 2016, the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to the Big River convenience store in Gramercy in reference to an armed robbery. Upon arrival, detectives made contact with the store manager who advised she had just been robbed at gunpoint. Detectives learned that prior to the armed suspect entering the store, a female subject made entry, used the restroom and exited the store. Almost immediately after the female subject exited the store, a male subject armed with what appeared to be a real handgun wearing a black hoodie and mask entered the store, grabbed the manager, led her to the cash register, and demanded the money inside. The armed suspect then exited the store and fled with approximately $89 in cash.

While canvassing the area, detectives located a mask and gun under the corner of a house a short distance away from the store which was along the path that the suspect fled. Detectives were able to identify the gun and mask as that used during the robbery. The gun was subsequently identified as a bb gun.

During the course of the investigation, detectives located the female subject a short distance away who had exited the store just prior to the armed suspect entering and identified her as 41-year-old Renee Shrake of St. Charles Parish. Detectives learned that Shrake drove the male suspect, who was identified as Maurice Honor, to the store, and made entry into the store to look around before Honor made entry to commit the robbery. Shrake, who was supposed to drive Honor away from the scene left the area when she observed a St. James Parish Sheriff’s Deputy nearby. Both Honor and Shrake were arrested and booked into the St. James Parish Jail.

Both the bb gun and mask that were located were submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for DNA analysis. Test results showed that Honor’s DNA was on both the bb gun and the mask used during the robbery.

Upon the jury rendering a unanimous guilty verdict in this matter, Judge LeBlanc ordered that sentencing be deferred to a later date pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.

On October 9, 2018, Maurice Honor appeared before Judge LeBlanc for sentencing. Judge LeBlanc ordered that Honor be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a period of 40 years with credit for time served which is the maximum sentence this charge carries. The said sentence is to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Renee Shrake, who testified against Honor during trial, previously pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit 1st Degree Robbery and was sentenced to 4 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served, to be suspended, and placed on 3 years supervised probation in connection with this matter.

The Office of the District Attorney has filed a multiple offender bill on Honor who has multiple prior felony convictions. This bill could potentially double Honor’s sentence.

Submitted by Public Information Officer Tyler Cavalier for 23rd Judicial District Attorney Ricky L. Babin.