Thread: LA: Viera pleads guilty to death

Viera pleads guilty to death



11:57 PM, Jun. 14, 2011 |

Ismael Viera, 22, has agreed to plead guilty to the murder of New Iberia orthodontist Robert Chastant. He will be sentenced Aug. 1 in Iberia Parish Court.

Viera, a Mexican citizen who was in the country illegally, was arrested just before Christmas last year in the murder of the popular dentist.

He had initially entered a plea of not guilty to a second-degree murder charge in early April, with a trial date set for June 20. Lt. Ryan Turner with the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office said, despite the guilty plea, the case remains under investigation.

"The investigation is still open. We are still following up on different leads. We just want to make sure we have everything before we release a motive," Turner said.

He said the case has been complicated because Viera's English is so poor that a translator has been required for all interrogations and court proceedings.

According to family members, Chastant had left his house early on Monday, Dec. 13, to visit this stables on Sugar Oaks Road and was reported missing at 9 a.m. when he failed to show up for work.

A vehicle belonging to Chastant, who had practiced in the New Iberia area for more than 20 years, was found abandoned, though police now believe Viera drove the vehicle to the location in an attempt to throw off the investigation.

Chastant's body would be found later that day in a barn at the horse ranch where Viera both lived and worked for the dentist for more than a year as a general handyman.

Viera, who police say was a suspect from the beginning, was arrested the next morning.

The local coroner's report listed the cause of Chastant's death was multiple blunt force trauma to the head and neck. Police would later report the pair had been involved in a physical and verbal altercation on the morning of his death.

Turner said Viera's illegal immigration status will not affect the case.

"He will still be tried the same as anyone else and will serve his time in jail in this county," Turner said.

Viera has been held in the Iberia Parish Jail without bond since his arrest.

Chastant, who would have turned 61 just days after his murder, was considered an accomplished author, lecturer and inventor who was known for his kindness, often providing his services for free to those in need.

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Chastant's body would be found later that day in a barn at the horse ranch where Viera both lived and worked for the dentist for more than a year as a general handyman.

I see this time and time again, and I still don't get it. People entrust their very lives to people they don't even know. Most of the large horse operations have illegals working with their horses, but go to their PERSONAL homes and farms and they have them not only working in the barns but in many cases actually living on their land. If these people are here illegally you have no idea who they REALLY are; yes they may have worked with you for years but you really have no idea why they are here... they can TELL you anything.