A Baton Rouge man convicted in the shooting death of Nicholas Williams was sentenced Monday to 30 years in state prison, closing a case that began just before 9 p.m. on March 5, 2023, in the 4000 block of Alliquipa Street.

Rashawn Alexander, 23, also received 20 years for illegal use of weapons and 20 years for possession of an illegal firearm by a felon. Judge Carson Marcantel ordered the terms served concurrently and credited Alexander for time already served. Last December, a jury found him guilty on all three counts and reduced the original second-degree murder charge to manslaughter.

Williams was 35 when police found him suffering from multiple gunshot wounds lying in the carport outside a residence where Alexander was staying. The location mattered because the defense said the shooting happened in and around Alexander's own home, not in a confrontation he went looking for.

Defense attorney Ryan Thompson told the court that Alexander acted in self-defense after an altercation inside the residence. Thompson said Williams rushed Alexander outside and forced him to raise the weapon at his side and fire. He pointed to the fatal gunshot wound to Williams' thigh as evidence that Alexander had not had much time to raise the firearm.

That argument did not sway the jury. The verdict left Alexander facing a long sentence while also confirming that jurors rejected the defense version of events and accepted that the shooting rose to manslaughter rather than murder. In Baton Rouge, where criminal cases often turn on how quickly a confrontation escalated, the distinction between those charges can decide whether a defendant leaves court with decades ahead of him or a possible chance at a far shorter term.

Alexander's legal problems were already extensive before the killing. He had been arrested multiple times since 2021 on charges including domestic battery, and at the time of the shooting he was out on bail for violation of a protective order and possession of a stolen firearm. Authorities say he also failed to keep his ankle monitor charged or respond to his bail bondsman's messages.

While awaiting trial in this case, Alexander was charged with three counts of entering contraband into a penal facility. Those charges involve allegations that he planned a drop of synthetic marijuana with his girlfriend, who was working at the time as an East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy. He is still awaiting trial in that matter, with his next hearing set for June 18.

The sentence ends one chapter of the case but not Alexander's courtroom troubles. With the manslaughter conviction now fixed in place and another hearing coming on June 18, the next question is how much more time he could face before the criminal process is finished.