Gun to the Head: Conviction in the Slidell Repossession Nightmare

“He told me to get down on my knees and put my hands behind my back. To this day, I still have nightmares, almost daily.”

February 26, 2026 – St. Tammany Parish, LA – Out of kindness, the repossessor allowed the man to retrieve his personal property from the car. Seconds later, that same man had put a gun to his head, ordered him to his knees and threatened to kill him. Thirteen months later, justice prevailed with a guilty verdict.

The incident occurred on January 31, 2025, when a Spartan Recovery agent was repossessing a 2017 Mercedes-Benz on C L Parker Road in Slidell. After the vehicle was secured to the tow truck, 57-year-old Cordell Parker confronted the agent angrily and requested to remove personal items from the car. The agent agreed, but Parker then retrieved a semi-automatic handgun from his home.

Parker pointed the weapon at the repossession agent, forced him to unhitch the vehicle, then pressed the barrel against the agent’s forehead. He ordered the victim to his knees and threatened to kill him.

As the terrified agent fled, Parker fired a single shot.

U.S. Marshals later arrested Parker on February 25, 2025.

Gun to the Head: Conviction in the Slidell Repossession Nightmare — Cordell Parker, 57

On February 25, 2026, a St. Tammany Parish jury convicted Parker of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and attempted illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities during a crime of violence by discharge.

The trial, presided over by Judge Scott Gardner, was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Gary Tromblay and Jay Adair, with the investigation led by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

In his opening statement, ADA Tromblay described the escalation: “Parker went from angry to murderous hostility. The victim was scared to death. He thought he was going to execute him in the street over a car. He never should have had a gun. There are reasons that people like Mr. Parker shouldn’t have guns.

”The victim, identified as D.B., testified emotionally: “He put the gun to my forehead… he told me he was going to kill me. He told me to get down on my knees and put my hands behind my back. To this day, I still have nightmares, almost daily.

”During closing arguments, ADA Adair questioned the defendant’s credibility: “D.B. has nothing to gain, and the Defendant has nothing to lose. One of them thumbed his nose at the oath, the court, and you all – you all get to decide which one did.”

ADA Tromblay, in rebuttal, dismissed the defense account as “a bald-faced lie,” emphasizing: “He will never forget what this defendant’s face looks like – nor will he ever forget what this defendant did to him. Hold this defendant accountable.

”Parker has a criminal history spanning four decades, with prior convictions for felony theft, burglary, drug offenses, and firearms violations.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2026, in Judge Gardner’s courtroom.

Source: collinsimsda.org