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Man convicted in Covington motel murder faces life sentence

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Demetri Antonio James, 20, will be sentenced Jan. 10 for killing a man during a motel robbery.
A 20-year-old man is facing a mandatory life prison sentence after being found guilty of shooting a man to death at a Covington area motel during a robbery last year. A St. Tammany Parish jury found Demetri Antonio James, 20, of Covington, guilty of second degree murder in the death of Brandon Washington at the Green Springs Motel on Oct. 4,2016.
Judge Richard Swartz of the 22 nd Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence James on Jan. 10. Three other men were charged in Washington’s death. The other men pleaded guilty earlier this year, according to a news release from North Shore District Attorney Warren Montgomery ‘s office.
In the early hours of Oct. 4, James and two other Covington men used a card to pick a lock and force their way into a room at the motel where the victim was sleeping. Two of the men, Terry Hookfin and Tyreek Sandifer, began searching Washington’s pockets. When Washington woke up, a brief struggle occurred and James shot Washington in the head, Montgomery’s office reported.
A surveillance camera captured the three men walking toward Washington’s Green Springs Motel room and then running from it a few minutes later. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and arrested Hookfin and Sandifer the next day. James fled to Bogalusa, where he was arrested a week later by U. S. Marshals. Indictments in the case were issued in January.
Sandifer, 19, pleaded guilty Nov. 7 and was sentenced to the maximum of 40 years in prison for manslaughter and 50 years for armed robbery with a firearm. The sentences are being served concurrently.
Hookfin, 28, pleaded guilty Sept. 28 to manslaughter and armed robbery with a firearm for his role in the crime. He faces 20 to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date, the district attorney’s office reported.
A fourth defendant, Devin Decoud, 38, of Covington, drove James away from the scene but did not go inside the motel room. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery and received a 10-year prison sentence. Hoofkin and Decoud testified against James.
Assistant District Attorneys John Alford and Blake Peters prosecuted the case.

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