St. Martinville, LA: Woman lured to shop, drowned

By JASON BROWN
Advocate Acadiana bureau
Published: Feb 2, 2011

ST. MARTINVILLE — Dewayne LaKeith “Keke” Joseph freely admits that he killed his wife, Delores Joseph, but he claimed he did not know she was still alive when he rolled her body, bound and chained to a dolly, into a St. Martin Parish canal in February 2009, Joseph’s defense attorney said Tuesday.

Opening arguments began Tuesday morning in the 34-year-old Houma man’s first-degree murder trial. Joseph is accused of kidnapping his estranged wife and killing her after he lured her to a business off La. 70 in Stephensville.

The remains of Delores Roberson Joseph, 31, of Patterson, were found in the Harbor Estates Canal off La. 70 near Stephensville on March 5, 2009.

Chester Cedars, a 16th Judicial assistant district attorney, said Joseph enticed the mother of three into ES & H, where Dewayne Joseph worked as an environmental technician.

Once inside, Joseph attacked her, Cedars said. Joseph then duct-taped her arms and feet, chained her to a dolly and brought her to the Harbor Estates Canal behind the business where he dumped her into “a watery grave.” Detectives with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office found her body about a week later, Cedars said.

She was “killed in the first-degree,” Cedars said.

Craig Colwart, Joseph’s public defender, told jurors during his opening statement that Joseph admits to killing his wife during a heated argument. Colwart said Delores Joseph freely entered the business and that the estranged couple engaged in consensual sex. Afterward, the two became embroiled in a heated argument after Delores Joseph discovered that her husband had been calling other women, Colwart said.

The argument escalated until his client lost his temper and hit the victim at least two times, causing her to fall and hit her head. Colwart said an autopsy report confirmed that there were signs of blunt force trauma to the victim’s head and face.

“He thought she was dead,” Colwart said. “He had no intent to kidnap her. He had no intent to drown her. All he was doing was covering up the act.”