Man sentenced to life plus 40 years following Jefferson fatal stabbing case

JEFFERSON, La. ( WGNO ) — An Old Jefferson man has been sentenced to life plus 40 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man back in February of 2021.

On Oct. 3, the man, 42-year-old Gerry Gelpi, was reported to have been convicted of murdering his neighbor, 68-year-old Charles Davis.

Gelpi reportedly gained access to Davis’s upstairs apartment, located in the 500 block of Highway Drive, and stabbed the victim at least 16 times before washing his hands in the kitchen, and going back downstairs to his own apartment.

Davis was later found by his daughter after he hadn’t answered her phone calls for several days.

During the trial, Gelpi pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and claimed that he was the “son of God” and that Davis was “a demon” who needed to die. Prosecutors argued against this by stating that doctors determined Gelpi to have been “malingering,” or, fabricating mental illness to achieve his needs.

The sentencing occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The life sentence was for the fatal stabbing, and the additional 40 years was for obstruction of justice, specifically, eliminating evidence.

More details regarding the investigation into this crime can be found in our earlier story, here .

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