Judge denies early release for man convicted of killing 7 in drunk driving crash

CLINTON — An East Feliciana judge denied an early release for a man who killed seven people in a 2012 drunk driving crash. Brett Gerald pleaded guilty to seven counts of vehicular homicide after he drunkenly drove on La. 67 in Slaughter, causing a head-on collision that killed a family of six and their friend. His blood-alcohol concentration at the time was nearly twice the legal limit, and he has a history of DUI arrests. Gerald was originally sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for each count, a total of 70 years. However, his sentence was cut in half...