A Richland Parish jury convicts a man in the fatal shooting of a Mangham officer

RAYVILLE, La. (KNOE) – A Richland Parish jury unanimously convicted an Evangeline Parish man of murdering Mangham Police Officer Marshall Waters.

During the trial, evidence revealed that Hermandus Semien, of Ville Platte, Louisiana, traveled to Rayville on October 17, 2020, with the intent to rob Yancey’s Pharmacy.

There, Semien held pharmacist Langston Yancey at gunpoint and stole his cell phone, iPad, truck and some narcotics from the pharmacy. He drove away from the scene in Yancey’s vehicle and headed south on Highway 425 toward Mangham.

Officer Waters, unaware of the crime Semien had just committed, pulled him over for speeding. As Waters approached the vehicle, Semien shot him in the stomach with a .45-caliber handgun and then drove to Franklin Parish. A multi-agency manhunt ensued.

Semien was ultimately arrested by Agent Lee Tarver of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and Major Mike Wilson of the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office.

After multiple surgeries, Officer Waters died on November 5, 2020.

On September 26, 2024, a jury convicted Semien of first-degree murder, armed robbery, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney Penny Douciere stated that the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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