6 people, including victim's son, charged in unsolved Lawtell murder | Crime

LAWTELL, Louisiana – Six people, including the victim's son, have been charged with the first-degree murder of Joseph Vallian. Vallian was 66 at the time of his death and the brother of local resident Dr. John Vallian, both of Lawtell.

Vallian was found tied up and brutally beaten in his home on the night of September 15, 2020. The case was apparently a robbery-murder. The case remained unsolved for several years. The charges were filed one day after the victim's 70th birthday.

The victim's son, Leeland Valliere (last name spelled differently), as well as Lester Johnson, Jr., Dennis Patrick Guillory, Jr., Dylan Young, Desmond Richard and Rasheed Zachary were all charged with this murder.

The case remained unsolved until this year, when the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, led by Detective Samuel Tidwell, arrested Lester Johnson Jr. for Vallian's murder.

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OPELOUSAS, Louisiana (KADN) – St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said a DNA match, tips from Crime Stoppers and good old-fashioned investigation led to the arrest of an Opelousas man in 2020 for the murder of a Lawtell man.

“Today we made progress in bringing justice to the family of this beloved gentleman while also taking dangerous criminals off the streets,” said District Attorney Chad Pitre.