Nate Bell
By Hunt Palmer
(The quotes in this story come from a 30-minute interview with Kyren Lacy’s father, Kenny, and the family’s attorney Matthew Ory.)
Nearly six months after the death of his son, Kenny Lacy and his family feel like they’re grieving all over again.
Kyren Lacy died by self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 10, days before a Grand Jury was to hear his case in Lafourche Parish. He was facing felony charges as a result of a fatal December automobile crash on LA Highway 20.
On Friday, Lacy’s attorney Matthew Ory appeared on HTV10 in Houma and laid out Lacy’s case for nearly 45 minutes. In response to that video, Louisiana State Police released an 11-minute video Tuesday with more details.
“The last four days have almost like getting that phone call saying that Kyren is gone again,” Lacy said in an exclusive interview with Matt Moscona on After Further Review. “It’s a whole ball of emotions rolling back like day one. None of the family members thought we would feel like that, but it’s something that you just can’t even control. Everybody felt almost like it was the same deal.”
Ory maintains that there are issues with the investigation and representation of the events of that afternoon. In his interview with HTV10, he expressed concerns with the officer’s handling of a witness whose statement recorded on body camera does not align with the written affidavit in evidence. The affidavit also remained unsigned.
He also suggested that the video of the collision released Tuesday by LSP from a surveillance camera did not accurately link the video with the audio, giving the appearance that Kyren Lacy was closer to the collision than the data indicates.
“We need to demand a neutral and unbiased independent investigation of this thing,” Ory said. “You’ll never convince me that what you saw on body cam, from suggesting what to say. Why do you need something to fit your narrative? And then someone comes back to you and gives you something to stop you, right? That you can see that is not close to what they said. And if you can explain to me how that’s okay, I’m waiting for the answer. Because that’s justice, accountability… Can you agree with me there, that there is no way around from what you heard, what was stopped, the statement that was given, to what landed in the affidavit? That’s your critical witness, but we’re going to throw smoke over this and show me a video that I know existed that the audio is not even correct on?”
Ory and Lacy confirmed that Kyren’s brother was in the vehicle at the time of the incident. He was never questioned by authorities.
The LSP video includes the information that Lacy’s first outgoing phone call after the collision was to a “Baton Rouge-based personal injury and defense attorney.” Kenny noted the attorney was family.
“The attorney that they’re talking about that Kyren called, that was Kyren’s stepdad,” Lacy said. “At the time that Kyren called, I had just got off of the phone with Kyren….That’s Kyren’s little brother’s dad.”
Ory also confirmed the woman driving the Kia Cadenza was ticketed for her involvement, only to have that citation later rescinded. She collided with the Kia Sorrento in which Herman Hall was a passenger. He later died as a result of injuries suffered in the accident.
While Ory continues to demand an independent investigation from the Attorney General, the Lacy family and friends continue to mourn Kyren’s loss. Justice remains important, but it won’t take away the grief.
“You can’t reconcile it,” Lacy said. “You can’t bring my son back. No reconciliation. None. All we can do is stay strong and make sure this doesn’t happen to anybody else’s child. No reconciliation. I’m never going to see my child again. Ever. It’s no reconciliation. We just want justice. That’s it. Justice. Whatever that is. We just want justice. That’s it.”
Some of the most difficult battles for the family have been online where the court of public opinion has once again been thrust into high gear. News stories with thousands of comments both defending and disparaging Kyren have been tough for the Lacys to avoid and digest.
That aspect of the situation has taken Kenny and his family back to the days after Kyren’s arrest.
“Through this whole ordeal, the people who had no idea of the kind of person that Kyren was, those were the main people that were trying to paint him to be such a monster,” Lacy said. “But Kyren was a kid at heart. He was a kid. When I say a kid, he could go into a room full of kids and light the room up just because of his energy. Kyren could go into a room of grownups and light up the room because of his energy. He can go into a room full of elderly people and just his energy would light the room up. He just had an energy that can’t explain. And, the people who judged him without knowing him, I wish you could have met him. I promise you. I promise he would have changed your mind.”
The full interview can be seen here.
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