NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The man convicted of trying to rob a now-paralyzed University of New Orleans student was sentenced to 50 years in state prison.
Criminal District Court Judge Simone Levine imposed the sentence Friday (Sept. 19) on Cruz Matute, after hearing testimony from victim Noah Hansard and Hansard’s mother Elizabeth.
Matute originally was charged with armed robbery and attempted first-degree murder, alongside co-defendant Tata Say.
After a week-long trial and hours of deliberations, jurors were mostly unconvinced by prosecutors, acquitting Say of all charges and finding Matute guilty only of the lesser charges of attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm…