NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A man was convicted in the murder of a social worker in New Orleans on Thursday, Aug. 6.
According to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, Mark Pohlen was found guilty of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm in the killing of 59-year-old Cheryl Squire. The jury rejected Pohlen’s claim of self-defense.
DA’s office officials said Squire had opened her home to Pohlen and was helping him find permanent housing. On Oct. 2, 2025, around 10:30 p.m., Squire called her sister, Rose Bourgeois, and said Pohlen was intoxicated, they were arguing and that she needed help. Bourgeois and two other women went to the General Taylor Street home.
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Four minutes after Squire’s call, Pohlen called 911 and said he had been attacked but also told the dispatcher that no weapons were involved and that no one was in danger. At 10:55 p.m. a caller reported hearing two gunshots and seeing someone bleeding on the steps. Two minutes later, Squire’s niece called for an ambulance and reported that her aunt had been shot…