Joseph Elie represents himself in court for Rapides Parish arson case motions, loses

  • Source: KALB-TV NBC 5 Alexandria
  • Published: 03/06/2019 02:17 PM

VIDEO: Joseph Michael Elie, 41, the man convicted of manslaughter in the 1994 beating and stabbing death of 82-year-old Rita Rabalais, and who was arrested again back in January for allegedly beating his pregnant girlfriend and setting a house on fire, decided to represent himself on Wednesday for a motion for a change of venue and a motion that would determine if investigators had enough probable cause to arrest him. Rabalais' family was present in court. These motions pertained to his most recent arrest for the battery and arson case. Before everything got underway, Judge Mary Doggett asked Elie multiple times if he was prepared to take the matter up by himself without the help of an attorney. "It's personal," Elie told Judge Doggett. "I don't trust nobody to do it right. I'm innocent."



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