A Louisiana man, Stephen Douglas Cormier, has had his 99-year prison sentence upheld for his conviction on multiple charges, including drugging, kidnapping, and sexually assaulting a woman he met at the Golden Nugget Casino in St. Charles. Cormier’s request for a sentence reduction was denied by an appellate court, which found no merit in his arguments regarding jury prejudice based on additional evidence presented during his trial.
Conviction Summary
Cormier was convicted in 2023 on charges of second-degree sexual battery, second-degree kidnapping, and mingling harmful substances. His offenses stemmed from a harrowing incident that occurred on October 5, 2021, when he encountered his victim, referred to in court documents as “E.M.,” at the Golden Nugget while she was drinking and playing blackjack. Evidence presented at trial included surveillance footage of Cormier purchasing two shots at the casino bar. Jurors watched as he was seen slipping a substance into one of the glasses before offering it to E.M., who proceeded to consume the drink.
Details of the Assault
Following the consumption of the tainted drink, E.M. became disoriented and unable to stand. Cormier subsequently drove her to a residence where he was cat-sitting. There, he stripped her naked from the waist down and recorded the assault.
Concerned for E.M.’s wellbeing, her boyfriend searched for her at the Golden Nugget after she failed to return. Unable to locate her within the casino, he discovered her vehicle in the parking garage, but E.M. was nowhere to be found. Eventually, it was her mother who found her dazed in the car. Security footage captured Cormier returning to the parking garage and placing E.M. in her car.
E.M. later underwent a sexual assault examination but recalled little about the incident itself, attributing her memory loss to the effects of the drug.
Disturbing Evidence
In a further shocking development, police discovered photographs and videos on Cormier’s phone documenting his assault on another woman. This footage included a clip where the second victim appears unconscious, digitally penetrated while in Cormier’s vehicle, with a straw in her mouth. During the trial, police testified that while the second victim remembered going on a date with Cormier, she had no recollection of the assault or knowledge of the video’s existence.
Cormier’s defense team argued that this incriminating footage should have been excluded from the trial, claiming that it prejudiced the jury. They contended that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the second victim was kidnapped or drugged, and claimed no indication that the recorded acts were non-consensual.
Appellate Court Ruling
The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal rejected Cormier’s arguments, affirming that the footage was relevant to demonstrating Cormier’s willingness to engage in sexual violence against unconscious victims. The court noted that this was consistent with the accusations made by E.M., thereby upholding the integrity of the initial trial.
Stephen Cormier remains incarcerated, serving his sentence for these heinous crimes as victims’ rights advocates continue to call attention to issues of consent and sexual violence.
