St. Tammany jury convicts Lacombe man for 2022 murder

A Lacombe man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the beating death of another man.

According to St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Collin Sims, the jury deliberated for one hour before returning with the guilty verdict against Patrick McCarty, 37. The jury also convicted McCarty on two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of obstruction of justice.

McCarty beat and killed Joshua James, 36, in 2022. James’s body was found in a Florida waterway, his body wrapped in a white fur rug and his hands tied behind his back. Authorities linked McCarty to the murder after they discovered him driving James’s car on Interstate 10.

McCarty later admitted to detectives that he punched James, but he denied killing him. McCarty told investigators that he, his boyfriend, and James went to Florida together in James’s car. McCarty said he fell asleep and that when he woke up, James was no longer with the group.

Investigators said they found blood splatter inside McCarty’s home while conducting a search warrant. Investigators also said McCarty went to a bank with James one day before the killing in an attempt to force James to put McCarty’s name on his bank account. The bank, investigators said, refused the request because James appeared intoxicated.

Sentencing is set for August 14.