TEVIN JENKINS – NOW TWICE CONVICTED
OF SECOND–DEGREE MURDER
After nearly 7 hours of deliberation, a St. Landry Parish Jury reached a unanimous verdict finding 32-year-old Tevin Jenkins of Opelousas guilty of Second-Degree Murder of Rodney Joseph Savoy, 34, of St. Martinville.
Last week’s trial is the second time Jenkins was brought before a jury for the murder of Savoy. Jenkins was previously convicted of Second-Degree Murder on August 30th of 2019, by a non-unanimous jury when only 10 of the 12 jurors voted for Second Degre Murder. At the time of Jenkins’ first conviction, Louisiana law provided that the agreement of 10 jurors was sufficient for a conviction. However, in April of 2020, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the 6th Amendment requires a unanimous jury to convict a defendant of a serious offense. Jenkins had to be re-tried.
Assistant District Attorneys Kylie Leblanc and Glenn Marcantel completed the second trial in four days. Savoy was at his girlfriend’s home on Della drive when the evidence established that Jenkins unscrewed the security light on the front door of the residence, dismantled the door camera, then broke into the rear glass door, cutting himself, and proceeded to shoot up the home until he shot and killed Savoy in the back bedroom.
Louisiana law provides that Second Degree Murder carries mandatory life imprisonment at hard labor. Sentencing is set for January 30, 2026, at 9:00am.
By: St. Landry Parish District Attorney
