Netflix Jailbirds Julie Raffray murder charge details, trial update

Jailbirds New Orleans prisoner Julie Raffray shocked viewers and her fellow inmates when she shared details about her very serious charges. When asked by a producer what the other inmates say about her, Julie laughed. “They say, ‘You look like somebody that would, um, like [commit] credit card fraud or something.’ But no…I wish I was.”

That’s when Julie explained what happened leading to her 2018 arrest for second-degree murder.

I’ve been an addict all my life. I started using heroin about ten years ago. And then, January 2018, my dealer offered me a deal and said, “Look, I’ma drop some stuff with you. Instead of racking up a bill with me, you know, I’ll send — I’m gonna send my customers to you.” And you can get two grams a day.

It was on a Sunday. My dealer called and told me to go outside and bring something to this guy. I didn’t know it at the time, but, well, he went home and overdosed. And then a couple days later, walked outside, and the FBI jumped out from everywhere. The guy that overdosed was a C.I. [confidential informant] for the FBI. And, um… [Julie gets emotional and pauses.]

And I’d have never imagined that all that would happen from me using and just wanting to get high.

I’m charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to a drug ring, and about twelve possessions with intent of distribution of heroin. I’m far from a goody two shoes.

As remarkable as Julie’s story is, she left quite a bit out that makes it even more remarkable.

First, the drug dealer that Julie was selling drugs for, Michael Willis, was also an informant. However, he was working with the DEA as opposed to the FBI. The man who died, Michael Pelot, actually suggested Julie’s drug dealer as a potential FBI target, but the idea was dismissed by Pelot’s FBI handler when it was learned that Michael Willis was an informant for the DEA. The DEA claimed to be unaware that Michael Willis was using three women customers (including Julie) to secretly sell his drugs for him.

Second, the man who died wasn’t alone when he purchased drugs from Julie, and he wasn’t the only one to overdose. Michael Pelot’s wife testified that she was with her husband when the two of them purchased the drugs from Julie at Julie’s house.

More from NOLA.com:

Pelot’s wife overdosed on the drugs inside Raffray’s house, but Raffray was able to revive her with Naloxone, which reverses the effect of opioid overdoses.

Despite the sign that the drugs were unusually dangerous, Pelot and his wife returned to their house in Luling with the rest of the drugs, she said. Later that night he sent her off to bed and then overdosed in the bathroom.

It was later determined that the Michael Pelot’s death was from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl.

Another remarkable thing about Julie Raffray’s case is that she and Michael Willis were both charged with second-degree murder, which is very uncommon in cases where someone supplies drugs to someone else resulting in an overdose.

The murder charge was made possible “under a once-rarely used Louisiana law that allows drug-induced deaths to be treated as homicides,” according to NOLA.com. “That law has been invoked more often in the wake of the recent opioid epidemic,” the site reported in early 2020, “and Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office received a grant last year that could pave the way for more such prosecutions.”

In a later post about the case, the site pointed out that “Louisiana is one of seven states where a conviction for what is known as a drug-induced homicide can lead to life imprisonment.”

Get details on the 2nd degree murder charge against #JailbirdsNewOrleans inmate Magen Hall after the 2019 stabbing death of a 62-yr-old businessman in New Orleans. Plus, get an update on her murder trial, which has been delayed numerous times. #Jailbirds https://t.co/f7V7nqZfq0 pic.twitter.com/9zCa75zGgB

— Starcasm (@starcasm) September 25, 2021

Julie Raffray’s guilty plea, delayed sentencing

Julie would eventually plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter on January 25, 2019. Court records indicate that she also pleaded guilty to four counts of heroin distribution as well as a single count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida, court cases are extremeley backed up in southern Louisiana. Julie’s sentencing was originally scheduled for February 28, 2019. Searching through the court dockets, I counted roughly 23 times that sentencing has been delayed. On the show, Julie mentions that she once went a stretch of nine months in jail without ever going to court, and that looks to be accurate.

Is Julie Raffray still in jail?

Julie’s case had yet another sentencing delay just last week. Her sentencing was scheduled for October 13, but that date was vacated. Her new sentencing date is January 5, 2022. If she is sentenced on that date, which seems highly unlikely at this point, that would mean that there was almost exactly THREE YEARS between the time that Julie pleaded guilty and her sentencing. Three years!

As you may have guessed by the fact that she still hasn’t been sentenced, Julie is still incarcerated. According to jail records she is still an inmate of the Orleans Justice Center, which is where Jailbirds New Orleans was filmed.

It doesn’t appear that Louisiana has a minimum sentence for manslaughter. I assume that whatever sentence Julie receives, she will be credited with the time she has already served — which would be close to 41 months (3 years and 5 months) at the time of her scheduled sentencing in January.

On a personal note, Julie’s social media posts indicate that she has two children — a son and a daughter that look to be in their late teens. The son is kickboxer and may actually be in his early 20s. Here’s a photo of Julie with her son that I believe was taken just a couple months before she was most recently arrested in August of 2018:

Jailbirds New Orleans is currently available to stream on Netflix! Be sure to check out our other profile posts on Julie’s cellmates and co-stars, Harley Himber and Magen Hall!

#JailbirdsNewOrleans UPDATE: Is Harley Himber back in jail? PLUS, details on her CRAZY arrest after lying about being a secret service agent, attempting to kidnap a boy and his mom, chasing then crashing into them multiple times.. and naked rock throwing?! https://t.co/4EQAk0zCCb pic.twitter.com/QigEpLtKyS

— Starcasm (@starcasm) September 27, 2021

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com