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Louisiana Parole Panel Denies Early Release for Herbert Butler
Summary
The Louisiana Committee on Parole denied parole for Herbert Butler after hearing victim-family testimony, prosecutor objections and statements from Butler and his supporters. The panel required a unanimous vote to grant parole; the panel split and Butler’s request was denied.
The Louisiana Committee on Parole denied parole for Herbert Butler, who appeared at a hearing held remotely from Louisiana State Penitentiary. The panel split in its vote after Butler, family members, friends and representatives from the Louisiana Parole Project spoke for release and an assistant district attorney urged denial.
Butler, a life-sentenced inmate whose sentence was commuted to 99 years with parole eligibility after 33, told the panel he is remorseful and described decades of programming and work inside the prison. “I am not a person of criminal intent,” Butler told the panel, adding he had repeatedly expressed remorse to the victim’s family. Counsel Adrienne Hutchinson and Keri Myers of the Louisiana Parole Project described Butler’s long institutional record, paralegal training and a proposed transition plan and employment in the legal field if released.
In opposition, Tracy Barbera of the district attorney’s office told the panel she found Butler’s recent completion of victim-awareness programming — listed in the pre-parole investigation as starting in October 2024 — troubling because it occurred only shortly before the hearing. “He was hiding in the bushes,” Barbera said, summarizing her view of the evidence and urging the panel to deny parole on the basis Butler had not fully acknowledged intent. The DA’s remarks and written records noting the facts of the offense were placed before the panel for consideration.
Panel questioning focused on the sequence of events in the original offense, Butler’s programming history and the timing of his victim-awareness work. Butler acknowledged taking the victim-awareness course again after a prior certificate could not be found in file and said the classes helped him appreciate the harm caused to both immediate and non-family victims.
The panel’s recorded votes were: Chuck Tillis — deny; Cheryl Renata — grant (release to the Parole Project transitional plan); Jeri LeDoux (chair) — grant. Because Louisiana’s rule for this type of parole action required a unanimous affirmative vote to grant, Butler’s request failed and was denied. The panel told Butler he could seek a future rehearing and provided instructions on how to request one.
The hearing record includes victim-family speakers who opted not to speak in person and multiple written impact statements. The Parole Project advised it would provide employment and mentorship if Butler were released; the DA maintained Butler had not fully accepted responsibility for the facts of the crime as recorded in the file.
Butler will receive written notice of the panel’s decision and information on when he may reapply for parole.
