The Committee on Parole in Baton Rouge denied parole for Joe Howell on Wednesday, June 4, after victim-family members and board members described the victim’s age and medical condition and expressed strong opposition to release.

The decision matters because the board explicitly weighed the victim’s vulnerability — the family told the panel the victim had Alzheimer’s and was 80 years old — and concluded parole was not appropriate. Board members also noted the seriousness of the offense and family trauma in reaching a unanimous denial.

At the hearing staff summarized Howell’s record to the board: he is classified as a second-felony offender, with a parole date shown as Oct. 17, 2024, a good-time date listed as April 2028, and a full-term date of Aug. 3, 2030; his sentence totaled 13 years and two months. Program staff told the board he was completing a multi-stage offender-treatment program and was expected to finish on the 28th of the month.

Victim-family testimony was central. Patricia Gross told the board: “My mother was not in her seventies. She was 80 years old, and she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's for about 3 years prior to this happening.” Gross told the board the family had not asked for the arrest and that the matter had been prosecuted by the attorney general’s office. Cindy White, who said she had cared for the victim, told the board she had “put her in the nursing home” after the incident and said, “I cry every day for her even after 5 years.”

After hearing from victims and staff, one board member said the facts and the victim’s condition led to a denial. The other members concurred; the panel recorded the board’s decision to deny parole. The hearing concluded with the board recording the denial and ending the session.