Suspect pleads to manslaughter in 2013 stabbing; Teen describes attempted robbery, foot chase that led to homicide

A Bayou Vista teen pleaded guilty last month to her role in the October 2013 brutal stabbing death of a 23-year-old man in Berwick.
In her plea, she described how she had traveled with the victim to La. 182 in Berwick to allegedly assist another woman with her car. She, her boyfriend and her brother allegedly then chased the victim into the woods and stabbed him after her brother had attempted to rob the victim.
Kaysha Francis pleaded guilty Dec. 5 to the charge of manslaughter in the death of Willie O. Francis, 23, of Bayou Vista. Court records show the two had no familial relation despite having the same last name.
A grand jury indicted Kaysha Francis in December 2013 on the charge of first-degree murder. State Assistant Attorney General Mat-thew Derbes is prosecuting the case after the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office was recused.
Kaysha Francis, 19, of Bayou Vista, was 15 years old at the time of the alleged killing. She is set to be sentenced May 5. District Judge Lewis Pitman imposed a sentencing cap of 20 to 40 years.
Her boyfriend, Kirkland D. Craft, 25, and brother, Tyler James Francis, 21, were also indicted for first-degree murder in the case. Kaysha Francis’ mother, Priscilla Ann Francis, 45, faces a charge of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Autumn Alfred, 28, pleaded guilty in June 2014 to accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.
Court documents relating to Alfred’s plea stated that investigators determined Willie Francis was stabbed 63 or 64 times.
According to the factual basis for the plea, on Oct. 29, 2013, Kaysha Francis participated in the killing of Willie Francis and aided and abetted Tyler Francis in stabbing Willie Francis in the woods just off of La. 182 near Cameron Iron Works in Berwick.
That night, Kaysha Francis called Willie Francis before meeting with the victim at the Bayou Vista Truck Stop and entering his vehicle. They then traveled to the location off of La. 182 and met up with Alfred in an attempt to assist with her alleged overheated vehicle.
While Willie Francis and Alfred were looking under the hood of the vehicle, Tyler Francis approached Willie Francis and tried to rob him, the document stated. Willie Francis fled into the woods in an attempt to escape but was overcome by Craft, Tyler Francis and Kaysha Francis, who caught the victim, according to the factual basis.
After killing Willie Francis, Craft and Tyler Francis took his phone, pills and cash and then moved his vehicle to a different place.
The day of the alleged killing, a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy saw a car parked on the shoulder of the highway and found blood in the vehicle, an affidavit stated. The vehicle was determined to belong to Willie Francis, whose family reported he had not been seen for some time.
A day later, Berwick police received a report that a body had been located on the side of the road. The body was identified as being Willie Francis.
Kaysha Francis was hospitalized for a stab wound and admitted, during an interview, to having been contacted by Willie Francis the night of the stabbing. She stated that Willie Francis picked her up and drove her to an unknown location where he “made unwanted advances towards her,” the affidavit said.
She later confessed to stabbing Willie Francis, but said she did so in self-defense, according to the affidavit.
In a November 2013 interview, Tyler James Francis denied knowing Willie Francis or having any part in his homicide.
An analysis of Tyler Francis’ DNA profile matched a sample taken from Willie Francis’ vehicle found during the crime scene search, the affidavit said.
According to an arrest report, Craft confessed to stabbing Willie Francis about 10 times but said he did so in defense of his girlfriend, Kaysha Francis.
Tyler Francis and Priscilla Francis are set to go to trial May 22, while Craft is scheduled for trial June 19.