Louisiana Voice

The indictment of a Livingston Parish deputy sheriff in connection with a traffic fatality in July has raised more questions than it answered.

Deputy Cory Winburn was indicted by a Livingston Parish grand jury on Monday for the accident in which Winburn crashed into a vehicle occupied by 33-year-old Christinia Estave who was taken to a Baton Rouge hospital but later died.

Winburn, who was responding to a call about a shooting incident shortly after 1 a.m. on July 15 when he rear-ended Estave’s 2004 Saturn in the southbound lane of LA. 16 north of Denham Springs. Neither Winburn nor Estave was wearing a seatbelt.

A witness said he had passed the Estave vehicle moments earlier and observed that it was stopped in the traffic lane without lights, according to information obtained by LouisianaVoice. The witness turned around to see if the driver needed assistance but by the time he returned to Estave, the collision had occurred.

It was the second time that Winburn had rear-ended another vehicle, according to a Baton Rouge TELEVISION STATION. The first resulted in a lawsuit but the litigation was subsequently dismissed. In 2018, he was fired by Ard but was rehired in 2020 after he spent about a year with the neighboring Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.

District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said the grand jury had the choice of indicting Winburn on negligent homicide or careless operation and chose to go with careless operation, a misdemeanor for which Winburn will be ticketed.

Among the questions left hanging are:

• Did Perrilloux exert undue influence on the grand jury in order to get the lesser charge? It’s common knowledge that prosecutors can influence grand juries. There’s an adage that says a skilled prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich or allow a killer to walk.
• Why did Sheriff Ard refuse to identify Winburn for nearly a full month – until he was finally identified with the indictment? Ard steadfastly refused to release any information about the accident, saying the criminal investigation had been turned over to State Police. Was that because it involved his department? He says his office is considering internal discipline for Winburn.
• Why was Estave stopped in the travel lane with her lights off? She was in 18-year-old vehicle; was she having car trouble? If so, that would explain the reduced charged against Winburn, but if so, why hasn’t Ard claimed as much?
• Why was Winburn driving a public vehicle (or any vehicle) without wearing his seatbelt? It’s the law and police in Livingston Parish periodically operate check points and ticket non-belted drivers. Seems law enforcement officials should be setting the example.