The man charged with the 2017 murder of Donna Arceneaux wants his trial moved away from Franklinton.
Scott Jordan was charged in December 2025 with the murder. His trial was initially set to start on April 6 in the Washington Parish Courthouse.
But his attorney plans to seek a change of venue. The motion for a change of venue will be heard on April 1, making it unlikely that the trial would actually begin on April 6.
Jordan is represented by well-known Covington attorney Roy K. Burns Jr.
Burns has indicated that pre-trial publicity would make it difficult to find a totally objective jury in Franklinton.
The change of venue motion on April 1 will be heard by District Court Judge Alan Zaunbrecher.
Ms Arceneaux, 40, was found shot to death on October 24, 2017, in her home on Highway 16 just south of the Franklinton city limits.
The initial investigation did not produce an arrest. Years went by. After a new sheriff, Jason Smith, took office in 2024 a re-opened investigation eventually resulted in the arrest of Jordan.
Jordan is currently out of jail on $500,000 bond. If convicted of the murder, he would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
