Man with recent Baton Rouge conviction to plead guilty in Livingston Parish
A man who this month was sentenced for a brutal rape in East Baton Rouge Parish is expected to plead guilty in Livingston Parish on Monday, 28 September, the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office has said.
David Coutee has already been sentenced in East Baton Rouge to 15 years in prison without probation, parole or suspension of sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree rape earlier this month. Prosecutors say he will enter a plea in Livingston Parish to related charges, which would become his third conviction in a rape case.
Charges and proposed sentences
According to the district attorney’s office, Coutee is expected to plead guilty to third-degree rape and aggravated battery in the Livingston matter. Prosecutor Brett Sommer has said the plea will see Coutee receive 15 years for third-degree rape and 10 years for aggravated battery. The sentences are to be served concurrently with each other and concurrently with the 15-year sentence imposed in East Baton Rouge.
| Case | Offence | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| East Baton Rouge | Second-degree rape | 15 years (no probation, parole or suspension) |
| Livingston Parish (expected plea) | Third-degree rape | 15 years (to run concurrently) |
| Livingston Parish (expected plea) | Aggravated battery | 10 years (to run concurrently) |
The district attorney’s office has also confirmed Coutee will receive credit for the time he has already served since his arrest. He will be eligible for potential reductions in sentence for good behaviour while incarcerated. When released, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
Allegations in the Livingston Parish case
The Livingston charges arise from an alleged assault on a woman the prosecution says Coutee had known for nearly 20 years. The pair are reported to have reconnected via social media in June 2024 and to have had consensual sex on one occasion. That encounter was said to have taken place four days after the Baton Rouge attack.
Prosecutors allege that two days after the first encounter the woman returned to Coutee’s home and was assaulted. She told authorities he choked her both with his hands and with a belt, and that she was effectively trapped in the house for two days because she had no means of leaving. She reported that he raped her on two separate occasions. The complaint was filed two days after Coutee’s arrest in the Baton Rouge case.
Details of the Baton Rouge attack and victim statements
In the Baton Rouge matter, the victim described a prolonged and violent assault. She later told a news outlet she was “lucky to be alive” after what prosecutors described as a 13-hour ordeal. The alleged behaviour in that case included holding the victim prisoner inside her home, choking, forcing oral sex, beating her with a hammer and a flashlight, dragging her by her hair and locking her in an attic.
“He needs to be put away because if he gets out, he will do it again,”
Those words, attributed to the victim following the Baton Rouge arrest, underline the seriousness with which prosecutors and survivors view repeat sexual offending and the importance of sentencing in preventing further harm.
Legal next steps
The plea hearing in Livingston Parish is scheduled for Monday, 28 September, in 21st Judicial District Court. The announced plan of concurrent sentences means the period Coutee will serve in custody is to align with the term already imposed in East Baton Rouge, while the lifetime sex-offender registration will apply on release.
- Prosecutor: Brett Sommer, 21st Judicial District
- Scheduled plea date: Monday 28 September
- Sentences to run concurrently with prior East Baton Rouge sentence
The case presents a stark instance of cross-jurisdictional prosecutions for sexual violence and will be monitored closely through the local courts as the expected plea is entered and the formal sentencing arrangements are confirmed.
