DA Warren Montgomery says 17 YO Levi Lee, of Tylertown, Miss., and 25 YO Lance Rouse, of Picayune, Miss., pleaded guilty last week in the shooting death of a convenience store owner during the robbery of his store in Bogalusa last year. Lee pleaded guilty, as charged, to second degree murder and two counts of armed robbery and was sentenced by District Judge William H. Burris to life in prison. Rouse pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two counts of armed robbery, and Burris sentenced him to 100 years in prison. A third person, 30 YO Melissa Smith, of Tylertown and the girlfriend of Rouse, pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and was sentenced by Burris to 20 years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently.
The crime took place Dec. 28, 2018, when Lee and Rouse robbed the J and Z Quik store, located at Highway 21 and City Limits Road in Bogalusa. The business owner, Abdulrahman Taleb, was confronted at gunpoint in the parking lot and shot in his leg. The victim died two days later from his injuries.
