NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A New Orleans man twice convicted of sexually assaulting a preteen girl was rebuffed this week in his effort to have his conviction and 50-year prison sentence overturned.
Louisiana’s Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal on Tuesday found no reason to vacate the rape conviction of 59-year-old Gabriel Hunter, nor to lessen the 50-year prison sentence he claimed was excessive.
Hunter first was tried in November 2018. He was charged with aggravated rape of a juvenile under age 13, but by a 10-2 vote, an Orleans Parish jury found him guilty of the lesser offense of sexual molestation of a juvenile under 13. Criminal District Court Judge Camille Buras imposed a 50-year prison sentence, with the first 25 years to be served without the possibility of parole, probation or suspended sentence, a mandatory requirement under state law…