Rabalais convicted of being 'accessory' in Ray Lachney death

Lisa Rabalais, 42, was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact to felony homicide in connection with the 2015 death of Ray Paul Lachney.

The two-day trial that began Tuesday was held before 12th Judicial District Judge Billy Bennett, who scheduled sentencing for Nov. 12. Rabalais faces a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and five years in prison.

“We were very happy with the jury result,” Avoyelles Parishh District Attorney Charles Riddle said. “Assistant District Attorney Tony Salario did a great job of prosecuting the case."

Lachney went missing in July 2015 and his badly decomposed body was found along the railroad track on T-Doo Road in Mansura in January 2016.

The jury was selected and trial began Tuesday (Sept. 17). It concluded Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 18) with Rabalais testifying that other witnesses against her had lied and that she did not know what had happened to her friend, Lachney.