Louisiana Pastor Accused Of Murder Running For Congress From Jail

Not even murder charges can keep one Louisiana man from running for Congress. Errol Victor Sr., a pastor from St. John the Baptist Parish, was previously convicted of murder but recently had his conviction vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, he is in the running to represent the 5th Congressional District of Louisiana as he awaits his new trial.

On Thursday (January 21), the 54 year old qualified by proxy to run for the vacant seat, according to Tyler Brey, spokesman for Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. Victor currently remains in a Catahoula Parish jail cell.

Victor and his wife, Tonya Victor, were arrested and charged with murder in 2008 following the death of his 8-year-old stepson M.L. Lloyd III. After six years of missed trials and conflicts of interest, as well as a feature on America's Most Wanted, the two were convicted in a 2014 trial. Tonya Victor was found guilty of manslaughter by a unanimous jury, while Victor was found guilty of second-degree murder by a 10-2 jury.

In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that non-unanimous juries, such as Victor's, were unconstitutional as it violated the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution. The state attorney general, who handled the prosecution in 2014, picked the case back up in 2020 following the high court's decision.

The seat for the 5th Congressional District was left vacant when Congressman-elect Luke Letlow died in December from complications stemming from COVID-19 days before he could be sworn in to the office. Seven candidates are running for the vacancy in a special election, including Victor and Letlow's widow Julie Letlow.

Photo: Getty Images


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