Houston man indicted, again, for Louisiana murder

A Houston man whose first-degree murder conviction was thrown out by a federal court last month has been re-indicted for the same crime. James Crandell, 57, was indicted Tuesday on one count of first-degree murder in the 1989 death of a Bossier City man inside a motel. Crandell is still jailed at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where he has been serving a life sentence since his conviction in 1991 for the beating death of Charles Parr, 48. Bossier-Webster District Attorney Schuyler Marvin immediately filed notice after the grand jury's report that he intends to seek the death penalty, but he expects a lengthy court battle. Marvin intends to test a 24-year-old state court decision that says prosecutors are prohibited from twice seeking the death penalty. Crandell is serving a life sentence because the jury that first heard his case could not unanimously agree on a penalty. His conviction was overturned in August when Crandell successfully challenged the manner in which grand jury foremen once were selected, specifically the exclusion of blacks as jury foremen for the 20 years preceding Crandell's indictment. [more ]