FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jury Finds Man Guilty of Attempted First Degree Rape and
Aggravated Burglary Armed with a Dangerous Weapon
October 15, 2021
COVINGTON—District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that on Thursday, October 14th, a St. Tammany Parish jury unanimously found Derrick J. Cousin, 53, of Slidell, Louisiana, guilty as charged of Attempted First Degree Rape and Aggravated Burglary Armed with a Dangerous Weapon. District Judge William H. Burris presided over the case.
On September 28, 2018 at around 1:30 am, roughly six weeks after being released from Angola Prison, defendant Derrick J. Cousin armed himself with a large kitchen knife and black gloves, and calmly walked over to his unsuspecting neighbor’s residence. Once there, the defendant cut the phone lines to the victim’s residence, and proceeded to forcibly break the exterior fence to the victim’s backyard and enter in through her unlocked sliding patio door. Once inside, the defendant bypassed all valuables and instead went straight to the victim’s bedroom located at the end of the hallway. The victim, after observing the defendant standing at her front door, had already called the police. The victim was still on the phone with 911 when the defendant proceeded to start kicking in her locked bedroom door. The victim started yelling “police, police” as she braced up against the bedroom door. The defendant later admitted that it was the victim’s screaming on the phone with police that caused him to flee back to his residence across the street. Police arrived within 2 minutes of the defendant’s flight and immediately set up a perimeter and secured the victim’s residence. STPSO deputies on scene were able to observe the surveillance video from the victim’s residence and the defendant as well as his path of flight. During a canvas for suspects and witnesses, deputies located the defendant Derrick Cousin across the street at this residence and identified him as the perpetrator. They also located the knife, gloves and his clothing.
In a recorded statement played at trial the jury heard the defendant deny his ever having left his residence but once shown a still from the surveillance video he stated that he didn’t recall because he had “blacked out” from alcohol. He claimed to know the victim but she denied this.
Prosecution was allowed to use the defendants two prior convictions for similar crimes, in this trial. Defendant had previously served time in prison for forcible rape and first-degree robbery. In one incident a woman was approached at knife point and forced into the bathroom at a gas station and raped. In another prior conviction he attacked a female but she was able to escape.
Sentencing information is not yet available.