Louisiana AG offers prayers after prosecutor investigating sex crimes found dead in apparent suicide
Louisana Attorney General Liz Murrill has offered her prayers and support to the family of New Orleans Assistant District Attorney Ian Kersting who was found dead at work from an apparent suicide, according to local police.
“I’m praying for him and his family and the entire @orleansparishda’s office,” Murrill wrote in a statement on X Sunday. “To anyone struggling with grief, loss, or depression having thoughts of suicide, please call the suicide hotline number at 988.”
Kersting, 34, was a member of The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Unit of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office charged with re-investigating and prosecuting cold-case sexual assaults through the use of recovered DNA evidence.
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Police said he was found dead around 9 p.m. Central time on Saturday with a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the DA’s office building in New Orleans, Fox 8 reported. The DA’s office remained closed Monday as they mourned his loss. They called his passing a “terrible tragedy” in a statement.
“The Orleans Parish DA’s Office family suffered a terrible tragedy Saturday night,” the DA’s office said.
“Assistant District Attorney Ian Kersting was a beloved member of our office, and we send our love and deepest condolences to his family. It’s important that we support each other right now, and we ask the media [to] respect the privacy of the individuals impacted,” the statement added.
A spokesman for the DA’s office said in a statement to WWL Louisiana that “the entire OPDA team will be addressed by grief and trauma counselors in the wake of an unexpected tragedy.”
“We extend our deepest gratitude to the judges of Criminal District Court and Juvenile Court, as well as the Orleans Public Defenders, for their extraordinary compassion and humanity during this challenging time, as there will be members of our staff who will require time to cope and heal,” the spokesman said.
Kersting’s legal career in Louisiana was young. Records cited by WWL Louisiana show he was admitted to the Louisiana bar just over four years ago on Oct. 30, 2020. Still, he and his team had been securing justice for sexual abuse victims.
In a statement on Instagram last March, the OPDA praised Kersting and his team for helping to secure a guilty verdict against a defendant who was charged with attempted first-degree rape and indecent behavior with a juvenile younger than 13.
“Following deliberation, the jury delivered its verdict: guilty of attempted 1st-degree rape and guilty as charged for the indecent behavior charge,” the OPDA noted. “The successful outcome underscores the dedication and skill of our team in pursuing justice for the most vulnerable members of our community.”
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