ST. FRANCISVILLE — An employee with American Electronic Monitoring was convicted on a negligent injury charge on Thursday after a man wearing an ankle monitor killed his estranged wife in St. Francisville. 

Deborah Shirley, an employee of American Electronic Monitoring, pled no contest and was convicted of negligent injury, according to District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla.

Marshall Rayburn, 63, was out of jail on a $100,000 bond when he killed his wife Peggy Rayburn and then himself during an argument. Among the stipulations of his bond was an order to wear an ankle monitor. But officials say that the ankle monitoring companies never alerted authorities of several violations by Rayburn.

D’Aquilla says that the case—the first of its kind in Louisiana—is part of a larger effort to keep ankle monitoring companies accountable for reporting violations. Shirley was initially indicted in 2022, along with monitoring companies Mississippi-based American Electronic Monitoring and AEM of Louisiana, for negligence. Van Hopkins was also indicted.

Despite the companies being a partner of law enforcement, there are no legal obligations for the companies to report violations, which D’Aquilla says is a problem.

“Ankle monitors before this case were not regulated,” D’Aquilla said. “It’s like security guards at a prison, they have a responsibility. If they don't do their job, they can be charged with malfeasance in office.”

The trial against the two companies is currently slated for Sept. 14, according to D’Aquilla.