Three children of a popular New Iberia
dentist have filed a lawsuit claiming their
father's latest wife not only paid to have
their father murdered, but also helped
cover up the crime in order to collect life
insurance money and part of his estate.
The civil suit, filed this week in Louisiana's
16th Judicial District Court in New Iberia,
claims Dr. Robert Chastant's third wife,
Laurie Futral Chastant, played a role in the
doctor's death.
Ismael Viera, the Mexican citizen who
pleaded guilty to murdering Chastant, was
sentenced in July to life imprisonment for
second-degree murder.
Viera, an undocumented worker who was
arrested just before Christmas last year,
initially entered a plea of not guilty to a
second-degree murder charge in early
April after being indicted by an Iberia
Parish grandjury in March. He ultimately
pleaded guilty in mid June.
"Upon information and belief... Laurie Futral
Chastant enticed Ismael Viera to commit
the said act of murder by offering Ismael
Viera a sum of money to kill her husband
and... participated with Ismael Viera in
attempting to cover up the crime," the
lawsuit alleges.
Stephen "Buzz" Durio, who is Laurie Futral
Chastant's attorney, provided The Daily
Advertiser with a draft of the lawsuit filed
against his client. He said the allegations
are not consistent.
"This lawsuit is totally unfounded and
preposterous," Durio said.
The lawsuit claims Laurie Futral Chastant is
"liable for the acts" of Viera, and also says
she is "unfit" to receive any of the bequests
made to her in her
husband's will and any money from life
insurance in his name.
Three of Chastant's children — Robert
Chastant Jr., Michele Chastant Stark and
Megan Duval-Chastant Qualls — are the
plaintiffs in the lawsuit. It does not identify
the monetary amount the plaintiffs are
seeking in damages.
Capt. Ryan Turner, a spokesman for the
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Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office, said Friday
evening that police have not closed the
investigation in Chastant's death.
"It is still an ongoing case," Turner said.
"There is not much I can comment on at
this time."
Turner said civil suits do not often impact
criminal proceedings.
He could neither confirm nor deny that
Laurie Futral Chastant is a suspect or a
person of interest in the case.
Turner said his office is awaiting results of
some evidence being tested, but he
wouldn't comment on what that evidence is
or for what it is being tested.
"I can tell you we are working closely with
the District Attorney's Office to come to a r
esolution and close this case," Turner said.
Tuner could not provide a timeline as to
when the case may be closed.
Durio said his client cooked Chastant
breakfast on the morning of his murder,
and she called police to report he was
missing. Durio said she then spent most of
that day with police officers.
Durio said no charges have been filed
against Laurie Futral Chastant. In his
elocution as part of his plea, Viera claimed
he killed Chastant after an
argument rather than after conspiring to do
so.
"If Laurie had done any of those things
alleged in this lawsuit, Ismaiel Viera would
have been guilty of first-degree murder
and not second-degree murder," Durio
said. "This thing comes nine month after
the fact, after everything Laurie did was
looked at too, and there are no charges
against her."
According to family members, Chastant
had left his house early on Monday, Dec.
13, to visit this stables on Sugar Oaks Road
and was reported missing at 9 a.m. when
he failed to show up for work.
A vehicle belonging to Chastant, who had
practiced in the New Iberia area for more
than 20 years, was found abandoned,
though police now believe Viera drove the
vehicle to the location in an attempt to
throw off the investigation.
Chastant's body was found later that day in
a barn at the horse ranch where Viera both
lived and worked for the dentist for more
than a year as a general handyman.
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Viera, who police say was a suspect from
the beginning, was arrested the next
morning.
The local coroner's report listed the cause
of Chastant's death was multiple blunt
force trauma to the head and neck. Police
would later report the pair had been
involved in a physical and verbal altercation
on the morning of his death.
Turner said Viera's illegal immigration
status did not affect the case.
Chastant, who would have turned 61 just
days after his murder, was also an
accomplished author, lecturer and inventor
who was known for his kindness, often
providing his services for free to those in
need.
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