The Committee on Parole unanimously denied parole Oct. 16, 2025, to Torres Duane Holmes, DOC 404271, who is serving lengthy concurrent and consecutive terms for manslaughter and armed robbery dating to 1998. The panel cited the seriousness of the offense, continuing victim-family opposition and the board’s judgment that Holmes had not served sufficient time under his plea agreement.

Holmes spoke directly to the board and apologized to the Martin family, saying he is “remorseful” and detailing participation in educational and rehabilitative programming while incarcerated. Supporters, including his mother Jacqueline White and cousin Clintonia Williamson, described Holmes’s program participation, GED completion and family support. Carrie Myers of the Louisiana Parole Project told the board the organization had accepted Holmes as a client and described post-release services the group would provide if parole were granted.

Opposing the petition, Joseph Martin, brother of the victim Kevin Martin, told the panel the family continues to suffer and said “I don't think that anybody deserves to walk the street after taking somebody else's life.” Derek Johnson, an assistant district attorney, asked the board to uphold the terms the family expected under Holmes’s plea and to deny parole. The board’s lead reviewer, Danny Barra, said Holmes had done “good work” while incarcerated but concluded “today is not your day” and voted to deny. Jerry LeDoux and Chair Carolyn Stapleton concurred.

The board recorded the denial and noted Holmes’s rehabilitative progress but found the plea terms, gravity of the crime and the victims’ and law enforcement’s opposition outweighed those factors. The hearing concluded with a formal denial vote recorded by the panel.