Terral Brand
COVINGTON—A St. Tammany Parish jury found Terral W. Brand, Jr., 33, of Slidell, guilty Wednesday (Feb. 3) of the attempted aggravated rape of a girl who was 5 years old at the time. Brand faces 10 to 50 years in prison when District Judge Allison H. Penzato sentences him on Feb. 22.
The crime dates back to between Oct. 28, 2013, and Oct. 29, 2013, when the victim’s mother went on a work-related trip and left the child in the Brand’s care. During that time, the child disclosed to a friend of the mother that Brand had put his finger inside her, licked her private area, and rubbed his private part against hers. The babysitter told the mother, who contacted police.
The child later shared the same account with a doctor at Children’s Hospital and in an interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Covington. Brand admitted to police that he masturbated in front of the girl, but he said he was intoxicated and did not remember anything else. The jury deliberated nearly two hours before returning the guilty verdict.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jay Adair and Becky Jo Hollen.