Bernadette Jackson took the stand in defense of her son, Terry Broussard, Jr.
In 2003, Broussard was charged with second-degree murder -- accused of shooting his stepfather in the head after he attacked his mother. Jackson saw her husband in a pool of blood.
"I saw him in the hallway and I stepped across to my son's room and he was walking in circles," said Jackson. "You know, he was upset."
There was another emotional mother in the courtroom. Aurelia Wright fought back tears as prosecutors described how Broussard stabbed her son, Ronnell Wright, to death in 2009 during a fight.
"At some point during the fight, this defendant, Mr. Broussard, produced a knife … stabbed Mr. Wright [in the] left chest. What you and I would describe as the side … between two ribs. That puncture wound bled profusely."
In 2003, Broussard got a deal that changed second-degree murder into voluntary manslaughter. He served a little more than four years before allegedly killing Wright.
Before the two sides could work a deal that would take first-degree murder off the table in the stabbing death, Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks stopped after he realized Jackson is a member of the same church he attends.
"So, in the interest of fairness … in the interest of the perception of fairness … It's my view that it's incumbent upon me to remove myself."
With Weeks now off the case, it will be up to a superior court judge to rule on the plea bargain and decide how long Broussard will remain behind bars.
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