Third suspect pleads in alleged June 2013 shooting, robbery

A 21-year-old Morgan City man is the third suspect to enter a plea deal in an alleged June 2013 shooting and robbery that left another man injured outside of a lounge near Morgan City.
Joseph Arron Cagnolatti, 21, of Morgan City, pleaded guilty Monday to the amended charges of conspiracy to commit manslaughter and conspiracy to commit armed robbery before District Judge Keith Comeaux, Assistant District Attorney Anthony Saleme said. Cagnolatti is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2017.
The district attorney’s office had originally filed a bill of information charging Cagnolatti with attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and attempted armed robbery with use of a firearm in the case.
On July 19, Paul Michael Charles, 25, of Patterson, pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted first-degree robbery. The remaining charge of attempted first-degree murder was dismissed.
In October 2015, Dwayne Anthony Skinner, 24, of Morgan City, pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted first-degree robbery, and the other charges against him of attempted armed robbery with a firearm, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed.
On June 14, 2013, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate a report of a shooting, according to an affidavit.
Detectives spoke to the alleged victim at a hospital. He stated that earlier in the night, he had visited lounges at the bottom of the Greenwood Overpass.
He said when he at-tempted to leave he was confronted by three men under the pretense of wanting to sell him drugs, the affidavit said.
When the victim re-fused, one of the men pulled out a gun, and the two other men jumped in his truck and started hitting him, trying to get his wallet, the affidavit said.
While the victim was trying to get the two men off him, the man with the gun shot him, the affidavit said.
Detectives interviewed Charles, who identified Skinner and Cagnolatti as two people he knew and saw the night of the shooting while Charles was at Judy’s and Secrets lounges, the affidavit said.
Charles stated he learned that Skinner and Cagnolatti had tried to rob the victim. Charles said that Skinner told him he was struggling with the victim, trying to get his wallet when Cagnolatti shot the victim, the affidavit said.
Charles said that Cagnolatti told him he shot the victim “and was going to take his lick,” the affidavit said.
Investigators also interviewed Skinner, who told them he went to Judy’s Lounge alone but saw Charles and Cagnolatti the night of the shooting and spoke with them, the affidavit said.
Skinner said the alleged victim had asked him for a light. At the end of the night, Skinner said he was in front of the lounge with Charles and Cagnolatti near the victim’s vehicle while Cagnolatti was trying to sell the victim marijuana, the affidavit stated.
Upon detectives’ questioning, Skinner said that Cagnolatti was quick to resort to violence and that basically anything would make him go off and shoot someone, the affidavit stated.
Skinner said no robbery occurred in the incident, and the shooting “was all over a drug deal,” the affidavit stat-ed.