Woman Kills Convicted Sex Offender with His Own Weapon as He Attempted Another Crime, Police Say
The perfect balance between guilt and redemption, justice and mercy, will always elude us on this side of Heaven.
On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, reported that 40-year-old convicted sex offender Nicholas Tranchant died at a local hospital after the woman he allegedly attempted to assault had managed to fight him off, disarm him and then stab him with his weapon.
The alleged attack occurred around 3:30 p.m. Sunday inside a laundromat near Lacombe, a census-designated place located north of New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain.
Authorities released few details of the incident except to say that the woman sustained injuries before fleeing to safety.
Sheriff Randy Smith lauded the alleged victim’s fortitude in the face of danger.
“I want to compliment this brave woman on the courage and strength she showed in fighting back against her attacker and ask for prayers for her continued recovery,” Smith said.
Alas, the Sheriff’s Office had more to report regarding the alleged attacker.
Prior to his recent release from prison, Tranchant had served time for attempted aggravated rape and aggravated burglary. His record also included a July 2003 conviction for indecent behavior with juveniles.
Thus, after being released from prison on Dec. 21, the convicted sex offender had to register under the law.
According to WVUE-TV in New Orleans, that made Tranchant one of the Lacombe area’s more than 200 registered sex offenders.
Gwen Batiste, a local resident, found that alarming.
“It makes me want to tear up that she had to go through that, and it’s a shame,” Batiste said of Tranchant’s latest alleged victim. “I pay taxes here, and I shouldn’t have to worry about my granddaughter walking to the bus stop.”
Batiste also questioned why Tranchant had regained his freedom.
“I understand everybody’s done their time,” she said. “But when you hurt a woman, you hurt a child, there is no ‘you’ve done your time,’ and it’s over with. It’s pretty sad, and we need to bond together and get rid of these pedophiles and sex offenders. It’s become normal around here, and it shouldn’t be.”
Authorities did not say why the state of Louisiana released Tranchant from prison.
And it remains a valid question. After all, according to a court of appeal ruling dated Nov. 23, 2010, Tranchant pled guilty to aggravated attempted rape upon an adult female and aggravated burglary. That plea occurred on May 15, 2008.
Then came the sentencing.
“In accordance with the plea agreement, the trial judge sentenced defendant to twenty years imprisonment at hard labor on each count, to run concurrently, without benefit of parole, probation, or suspense of sentence,” the ruling read.
Thus, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, it would seem that Tranchant’s original sentence required him to remain in prison until 2028.
A would-be victim of sexual assault reportedly fought back at a laundromat near Lacombe, fatally stabbing convicted sex offender Nicholas Tranchant, who was released from prison in December. https://t.co/LBhHmn4moj pic.twitter.com/fmUTPzezZo
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) March 4, 2024
I do not envy those who must decide when — and under what conditions — to restore a repentant inmate’s freedom. No one, after all, can read the inmate’s mind and heart to determine the sincerity of his or her repentance. Nor can professionals predict future behavior.
As Christians, we believe in free will and, therefore, demand the kind of accountability that protects innocent people from evildoers. But we also believe in redemption and mercy. It is never an easy balance.
In Tranchant’s case, at least, we may conclude that 15 years in prison apparently did not squelch the violent urges that put him there in the first place.
Those who chose to release him from incarceration, therefore, may want to revisit the reasons for their decision.
Meanwhile, they should also thank the brave woman who resisted Tranchant’s alleged assault and thus spared their consciences any additional guilt.
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