Baton Rouge man pleads guilty, sentenced to 39 years in 2015 killing of Prairieville man

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A Baton Rouge man was sentenced to 39 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in a 2015 drug-related shooting death that the victim's father and aunt said sparked a second tragedy in the family the very next month.

Moments after Glenn Spears told state District Judge Bonnie Jackson he wanted to plead guilty to manslaughter in the Dec. 21, 2015, slaying of George Reusch Jr., the victim's father, George Edward Reusch, informed the judge that the elder Reusch's wife, Beverly Kees Reusch, drank herself to death on Jan. 28, 2016.

"She basically drank herself to death from a broken heart," Liz Matthews, who is Beverly Reusch's sister and George Reusch Jr.'s godmother, added in her own victim impact statement to the judge.

"He was liked by everybody," George Reusch said of his 27-year-old son in his remarks to Jackson. "It's a tremendous loss for a lot of people."

George Reusch Jr., of Prairieville, was fatally shot in the Esplanade Mall parking lot at Corporate Boulevard and College Drive while he sat inside his idling Jeep Grand Cherokee with Spears, now 29.

Reusch's father said outside the courtroom that he suspects his son, an electrician and bodybuilder, was trying to sell marijuana to Spears and that Spears tried to rob him.

Baton Rouge police have said Gabrielle Rogers drove Spears and his brother, D'Mon Spears, to the parking lot to meet George Reusch Jr. for a prearranged drug deal.

D'Mon Spears, 24, still faces a second-degree murder charge in the case. Rogers, 26, is charged as an accessory to second-degree murder. The next court appearance for the two is Sept. 27.

Shortly before the shooting, a witness saw the Spears brothers sitting on a bench near the parking lot, apparently waiting for Reusch. After Reusch pulled into the parking lot, one of the men, later identified as Glenn Spears, got into the SUV, which pulled away from the bench toward the middle of the parking lot, a police report says.

Minutes later, the witness heard a gunshot and saw the assailant tumble from the vehicle before climbing back in. Glenn Spears re-emerged with a backpack and took off running with his brother toward Corporate Boulevard, the report states.

As the two suspects fled, Reusch's Jeep — with its mortally wounded driver still inside — began rolling toward College Drive, picking up speed and crashing through a chain-link fence and into traffic, where it struck a passing pickup truck. Reusch was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at a hospital.

George Edward Reusch and his wife had gone to bed when police showed up at their Prairieville Home

Prosecutor Robert Savage told Jackson on Wednesday that Glenn Spears fled the strip mall parking lot scene with a black bag that he did not have when he first entered Reusch's SUV.

Glenn Spears was standing trial this week on charges of second-degree murder, armed robbery and felon in possession of a firearm in the killing of Reusch. An East Baton Rouge Parish jury was picked Monday and Tuesday. Spears pleaded guilty just before opening statements were to begin Wednesday.

Reusch's father told the judge that when his son's young boy, who is now 2, comes over to his house, the youngster points to a photograph of George Reusch Jr. and says, "That's my dad." The boy lives with his mother in Prairieville.

Glenn Spears offered an apology to the Reusch family, but when Jackson asked why he shot Reusch, Spears declined to say more.

The judge said there is a "high probability" Spears would have been convicted of second-degree murder, which would have carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

"The family of Mr. Reusch has really shown you some generosity. You owe them a lot," she said, adding that the debt can never be repaid.

After court, Glenn Spears' attorney, Robert Ray, said justice was served by the manslaughter plea and 39-year sentence.

"It was a very tragic thing. We were able to find a just resolution," he said.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said the guilty plea provides a "strong measure of accountability" for Glenn Spears' actions that night.

"His reprehensible conduct led to the death of a young father, whose friends and family were hurt in immeasurable ways," he added.

Moore also noted the case could not have been prosecuted without the vigilance and courage of law-abiding bystanders at the scene.