Who Is Tony Hunter?

Tony Hunter (DOC #333814) is a father of five and a former Olympic-hopeful track athlete who has maintained his innocence from day one. He is currently incarcerated at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in Louisiana after being wrongfully convicted of a triple homicide—despite the absence of DNA, fingerprints, eyewitnesses, or any reliable physical evidence tying him to the crime. Indicted on October 17, 2002, Tony has spent more than two decades behind bars, including many years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), a facility notorious for brutality and unethical practices.

How Tony Became a Suspect

Tony had never heard of, seen, or been to the victims’ address. Detectives first focused on him after a single witness, Emma Rodgers, reported a red truck with a headlight out near the crime scene. Tony had rented a Ford F-150 with his credit card; when a recurring monthly charge was declined, police—suspecting the truck in connection with the triple homicide—asked Enterprise for permission to impound it. On May 4, 2001, Tony was arrested on a minor charge (unauthorized use of a vehicle) and booked into Ouachita Correctional Center. Two days later, detectives questioned him about a triple homicide that had occurred two months earlier. Tony stated he had never heard of, seen, or been to the victims’ address and that he was at a neighborhood birthday celebration when the crime occurred. A full forensic search of the F-150 found no DNA, no fibers, and the truck did not have a non-functional headlight or stacked double headlamps. In short, the witness sighting did not match Tony’s truck—and the forensics came back clean.

Media Pressure and Jailhouse Informants

Despite the lack of evidence, detectives offered cash rewards for tips and had local station KTVE report that Tony’s unrelated arrest might be connected to the triple homicide—making him a target for inmate rumors and incentivized lies. In the weeks after that broadcast, multiple false tips surfaced. In July and August 2001, three jailhouse informants claimed they overheard Tony discuss the killings. Their statements contradicted one another and did not match the facts. With no physical evidence and Tony’s credible alibi, the case remained unsolved.

Inside the jail, the case was built on rumor. Glen Nelson later admitted that he, Vaccaro, and others concocted a plan to implicate Tony to curry favor with the Ouachita DA—even though Nelson had shot at Tony months before the murders, making any claim of “friendship” absurd. Meanwhile, jail logs that could have shown Tony was not on the recreation yard when these supposed confessions occurred were never produced. On May 6, 2001, Tony told Detective Royce Toney that he was innocent. His partner Stephanie Stokes swore Tony was at her home when the murders occurred—statements that were never turned over to the defense. Brenda Graves stated that Tony was with his 12-year-old daughter at a neighborhood birthday party the night of the murders, which the jury also never heard. Christopher Wiggins later admitted Tony never confessed to him and said he was promised a sentence reduction he never received.

Withheld and Misrepresented Evidence

Crucially, Corey Smith—the owner of the .22-caliber pistol—gave a second statement saying his friend Keith Norman (who is white) had the gun last and that he believed Norman stole it from his truck and sold it for drugs. The State withheld this information from the defense, never investigated or questioned Norman, and Smith never mentioned Norman at trial. If Norman had the weapon last, he was either the shooter or knew the person who was—yet jurors never heard it. Tony does not know Smith or Norman and had no connection to either man.

The prosecution also relied on incentivized testimony. After giving his recorded statement and before Tony’s trial, Clarence Kennedy received 25 years with 20 suspended—effectively five years—for first-degree robbery, an illegal reduction under Louisiana law that prohibits suspended sentences for that offense. The jury never properly heard or weighed the illegality of that deal or Kennedy’s habitual-offender exposure.

The Verdict and the Cost

Deprived of exculpatory evidence and confronted with unreliable informant testimony, the jury found Tony guilty. He was sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus forty-nine years at hard labor.

Why This Matters

The record shows a case built on media pressure and paid informants—not proof. Critical information pointing away from Tony was concealed; exculpatory leads were ignored. The lone truck sighting doesn’t match Tony’s vehicle, the forensics are clean, the alibi evidence was suppressed, the gun owner identified Keith Norman as the last possessor (white, never questioned), and an illegal informant deal helped drive the conviction. There is more than enough evidence to conclude Tony did not and could not have committed these murders. Yet he remains incarcerated, separated from his family and the life he was building.

Tony Hunter deserves a fair review, full disclosure of all evidence, and his freedom.

How You Can Help—Right Now

• Share Tony’s story. Every voice expands the circle of people who can demand justice.

• Write to decision-makers and innocence organizations. Urge them to review Tony Hunter’s case and the withheld evidence.

• Support the effort. Contribute time, expertise, or resources to legal review and advocacy.

• Stand with his family. Send messages of encouragement that remind Tony he’s not forgotten.

No family should lose a father for decades to a conviction built on unreliable testimony. No man should have his life erased when the evidence isn’t there.