Sandy Kaynor Jr. (via joneswalker.com)
Kaynor, an attorney at Jones Walker, was shot in the chest and back as he sat in his driveway of his Camp Street home in October 2012, and struggled with complications from those injuries for years until he died this week at age 58. While the initial police report on his death says that Kaynor succumbed to the damage from the gunshot wounds, Orleans Parish Coroner Jeffrey Rouse has yet to issue a formal ruling on his cause of death.
Three men have been convicted on charges relating to Kaynor’s death and are serving multi-decade sentences. Retrying them on a murder charge now that Kaynor has died is an option that prosecutors could pursue, but they said Cannizzaro said Thursday that to make any decision prior to Rouse’s ruling would be “premature.”
For details, see the full text of Cannizzarro’s statement on Kaynor’s death below:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Sandy Kaynor this morning, and my entire office extends deepest condolences to his wife Grace, son Granville and daughter Phoebe.
Mr. Kaynor was an accomplished attorney and musician, but above all a beloved husband and father. Though he ultimately died today, in reality his life was taken 5½ years ago through a senseless act of gun violence in the driveway of his home. While we are gratified that the killers of Mr. Kaynor and Mr. Valan May were brought to justice, the damage done to these victims and their families is irreparable. The scourge of juvenile crime in New Orleans is real, and Mr. Kaynor’s prolonged death at the hands of teen gunmen serves as a stark reminder that the plights of victims should take preeminence in public safety policy decisions.
Until a determination of homicide as the cause of Mr. Kaynor’s death is made by the Orleans Parish Coroner’s office, it is premature to speculate on the potential of new charges for any defendants in this case.
