FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2019
COVINGTON—District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that George David Dargis, Jr., 40, of Mandeville, pleaded guilty Tuesday (April 23) to second degree murder and several related charges for stabbing his estranged wife to death in Mandeville in 2017 and committing a string of burglaries in Lacombe after fleeing the crime scene.
District Judge Reginald Badeaux sentenced Dargis to mandatory life in prison without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for the second degree murder and a total of 70 years in prison for the other crimes. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Dargis fatally stabbed his wife, Julie Marange Dargis, on Dec. 2, 2017, at the home the couple once shared in Mandeville. The victim’s family members filled one side of the courtroom for the sentencing, and two of them spoke on behalf of the family. “You lied and said you loved Julie,” Cindy Marange, the victim’s mother, said. “You don’t murder people you love…Our lives are forever changed. Our lives will never be the same.”
When asked if he had anything to say, Dargis hung his head and said, “Sorry, sorry.”
Afterwards, family members hugged and thanked Assistant District Attorney Jay Adair, who prosecuted the case with the help of Assistant District Attorney Angelina Valuri.
Dargis was indicted in March last year by a St. Tammany Parish jury on second degree murder, possession of a Schedule II drug (Codeine), aggravated flight from an officer, aggravated obstruction of a highway, unauthorized entry of a business, three counts of simple criminal damage to property over $1,000, two counts of simple burglary, and simple robbery. Several of those charges stemmed from an incident that occurred four days before the murder. On Nov. 28, 2017, Dargis was arrested after fleeing from a police officer who attempted to stop him for speeding. Dargis ultimately crashed his car and fled on foot. Officers tracked him down and found a vial of Codeine in the car.
Dargis and his wife were living apart after he bonded out of jail for the crime on Nov. 28. When he showed up at her home on Dec. 2, 2017, they got into an argument. Dargis attacked her, slashed her throat, stabbed her in the abdomen, and fled in her rental car. While fleeing, he robbed a grocery store on Highway 190 in Lacombe and burglarized a couple of other businesses by driving the car into the establishments.
After the crime spree, Dargis showed up at his parents’ home in Slidell and told them he had “hurt” his wife. They told him to leave and called police. He was arrested after wrecking the rental car on the twin span bridge between Slidell and New Orleans.
On Tuesday, Dargis also pleaded guilty to all charges and received the following prison sentences: possession of a Schedule II drug (Codeine), two years; aggravated flight from an officer, 10 years; aggravated obstruction of a highway, 15 years; unauthorized entry of a business, six years; three counts of simple criminal damage to property over $1,000, two years on each count; two counts of simple burglary, 12 years on each count; and simple robbery, seven years. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.