Parole board denies clemency request from Anthony Stoop after supporters offer reentry plan

The Committee on Parole denied a clemency request from Anthony Stoop, who was sentenced to life in St. Landry Parish in February after a second‑degree murder conviction. At the May 12 hearing, family members and the Louisiana Parole Project described Stoop’s post‑conviction programming and offered an employment plan; the board voted to deny his request.

Why it matters: Stoop told the panel he was remorseful and credited substance‑abuse and rehabilitation programming in prison. Supporters said he had vocation and mentoring experience in custody and had a job lined up upon release.

Stoop described the night of the offense as dominated by a drug‑induced panic state and repeatedly told the board he did not go into the incident with intent to kill. "I cannot say I am deserving," Stoop said of clemency, adding that he has taken responsibility and completed prison programming. Channing Blake of the Louisiana Parole Project told the board his organization accepted Stoop into the reentry program and would provide housing and employment help.

But board members said Stoop’s record and seriousness of the crime led them to deny his request. The panel recorded votes during the hearing and announced that Stoop had received four votes to deny his application.

Clarifying details: Stoop reported roughly 25 years served at the hearing. He described prior substance‑use and disciplinary matters early in his incarceration but pointed to several completed rehabilitative programs and work assignments later in custody. Family members testified to his change and to a job offer post‑release.

Outcome: The board denied the application; no conditional follow‑up or referral was recorded.