Jacoby Johnson Stabbing Case: Charges, Insanity Plea, and Delays

The Jacoby Johnson stabbing case is still pending more than two and a half years after the November 13, 2023, attack outside the Lambright Sports and Wellness Center at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. Johnson, a former Louisiana Tech student, faces one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted second-degree murder. As of March 2026, he remains in custody at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center with no trial date set.

What Happened on the Louisiana Tech Campus

Around 9 a.m. on November 13, 2023, Johnson pulled a knife on a male student inside the campus recreation center. When that student escaped, Johnson moved to the parking lot and attacked four women in quick succession.¹

Annie Richardson, a 63-year-old artist, pilot, and volunteer firefighter, was stabbed in the throat and died the following evening, November 14, 2023.² Cynthia Woodard, a retired 3rd District judge who had been exercising with Richardson, was critically injured but survived. Graduate student Dominique McKane was hospitalized and later released in good condition. Retired teacher Debby Hollimon was cut while trying to intervene and did not require medical treatment.¹

Campus police got the first call at 9:08 a.m. and had Johnson in custody at a campus dormitory by 9:12 a.m.³ Johnson, then 23, told investigators the attack was not planned. He said school stress had built up and he “snapped” while walking around campus. According to court documents reported by KNOE, after the parking lot stabbings he had been heading to an on-campus cafe with plans to eat and potentially attack more people before he was apprehended.⁴ Police described the attack as random, with no apparent prior relationship between Johnson and the victims.

The Charges and Insanity Plea

Johnson was booked into the Lincoln Parish Detention Center without bond.⁵ A grand jury indicted him on one count of second-degree murder for Richardson’s death and three counts of attempted second-degree murder for the injuries to Woodard, McKane, and Hollimon.⁴ He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and still intends to use an insanity defense at trial.⁶

Because survivor Cynthia Woodard had served as a judge in the 3rd Judicial District, multiple local judges recused themselves. Ad hoc Judge Chet Traylor was brought in to preside.⁷

Why the Case Keeps Getting Delayed

Competency has been the first major source of delay. In January 2024, Judge Traylor initially ruled Johnson competent, even though Johnson had reported hearing voices. The defense appealed, arguing the assessment had been done by a licensed practical nurse with no formal training in psychology or psychiatry. On May 2, 2024, the Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal reversed the ruling.⁸

On May 21, 2024, the court ordered Johnson admitted to the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System Forensic Hospital in Jackson for competency restoration.⁹ He waited roughly six months in the parish jail for a bed. He was transferred on December 3, 2024, treated for about six weeks, and released on January 13, 2025, deemed fit to stand trial.⁸

Changes in defense counsel have added more delay. In February 2025, the presiding judge ordered local attorney Rick Candler to replace attorney Judith Hampton because Hampton’s father, 3rd Judicial District Judge Bruce Hampton, had already recused himself from the case.¹⁰ A trial date was set for April 28, 2025, and did not hold.¹¹ By September 2025, the trial had been reset for September 22. Then public defense attorney Robert Moore, who had been second chair, asked to take over as lead counsel, saying he needed more time because he had not been involved in interviewing the defendant or witnesses. Judge Traylor reluctantly granted the request and the trial was postponed again with no firm date.¹²

The Plea Offer That Fell Apart

At a January 21, 2026, hearing, Chief Felony Prosecutor Lewis Jones stated on the record that he had offered Johnson a chance to plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder in exchange for dismissal of the three attempted murder charges. Defense attorney Moore had separately asked about a plea involving a 40- to 45-year prison sentence. Johnson rejected both possibilities, told the court he wanted to go to trial, and the prosecution withdrew the offer.¹³

The plea disclosure set off a second controversy. Victims and their families said they had not been consulted or even told about the offer before it became public. Taylor Richardson Burt, Annie Richardson’s daughter, confirmed no one in her family had been notified. Retired Judge Woodard, one of the survivors, testified at a later hearing that despite filing a Louisiana Victim Notice and Registration Form, she had never received a phone call from the district attorney’s office about court proceedings.¹⁴

At a March 19, 2026, hearing, the thirteenth in the case, Jones walked back his earlier account. He testified that no official offer had actually been made and called his January statements “a description of a potential offer,” saying he regretted the wording. Moore agreed with that characterization.¹⁵

Where the Case Stands Now

By early 2026, ad hoc Judge Chet Traylor had withdrawn and a new ad hoc judge, Jenifer Clason, took over. The defense filed a fresh round of appeals challenging evidentiary rulings Traylor had made before leaving.¹³

At the March 19, 2026, hearing, Judge Clason addressed the victims’ complaints directly, ruling that communication with victims must improve. She said victims’ rights are constitutional rights and that notification failures would “not happen again in these proceedings.”¹⁵

A trial originally set for February 2, 2026, was postponed indefinitely, and a pre-trial conference was scheduled for June 23, 2026.¹³ As of the most recent reporting in March 2026, no trial date had been set. Johnson remains at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.

1
KPLC. Woman Killed in La. Tech Stabbing Spree Was Well-Known Artist With New Orleans Ties
2
CBS News. Louisiana Tech University Stabbing: Woman Dies
3
WDSU. At Least Four People Stabbed at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston; Suspect in Custody
4
KNOE. Judge Issues Four Indictments for Louisiana Tech Stabbing Suspect
5
Louisiana State Police. Louisiana State Police Assume Lead in La. Tech Deadly Stabbing Investigation
6
MyArkLaMiss. Victims Say They Were Left Out of Plea Discussions in 2023 Louisiana Tech Stabbing Case
7
Ruston Daily Leader. Louisiana Tech Stabbing Case: Judge Paves Way for Prosecution to Resume
8
MyArkLaMiss. La. Tech Stabbing Suspect Released From Mental Hospital, Deemed Fit to Stand Trial
9
KNOE. Suspect in La. Tech Stabbing Ordered to Mental Health Facility for Evaluation
10
MyArkLaMiss. Suspect in La. Tech Stabbing Appears in Court After Treatment in Mental Health Facility
11
KSLA. Louisiana Tech Stabbing Suspect to Stand Trial
12
Ruston Daily Leader. Trial in Fatal Tech Stabbing Delayed Again
13
Ruston Daily Leader. Tech Stabbing: Details of Rejected Plea Offer
14
Ruston Daily Leader. Tech Stabbing Victims Not Told of Plea Offer
15
Ruston Daily Leader. New Stabbing Hearing: Victims’ Rights, Plea Talks Addressed