OPELOUSAS – District Attorney Earl Taylor will not seek the death penalty against accused double murderer Warren “Boo Boo” Gautreaux. Taylor notified the defense and District Judge James Doherty, Jr. of his decision in a notice filed July 31.

Gautreaux is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the January 2006 stabbing deaths of Youric and Mary Ann Courville in their Eunice home.

He was arrested in November 2011 after investigation was reopened in the cold case.

The state is required under law to notify a defendant whether it will seek his/her execution in a capital case.

Its deadline for notification in Gautreaux’s case was Aug. 2.

To seek the death penalty rather than life imprisonment, the state must notify the defense that it intends to prove aggravating factors in the crime.

Among examples of such factors can be:

Defendant was engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, aggravated escape, armed robbery or simple robbery;

Defendant knowingly created a risk of death or bodily harm to more than one person;

Defendant offered, has been offered, has given, or has received anything of value for the commission of the offense;

Defendant intentionally killed the victim;

Intentionally inflicted serious bodily injury that resulted in death;

Intentionally participated in an act, contemplating that the life of a person would be taken or intending that lethal force would be used ... and the victim died as a direct result;

Intentionally and specifically engaged in an act of violence, knowing that the act created a grave risk of death to a person, other than one of the participants in the offense, such that participation in the act constituted a reckless disregard for human life and the victim died as a direct result of the act ;

Procured the commission of the offense by payment, and promise of payment of a thing of pecuniary value;

Committed the offense after substantial planning and premeditation.

Tyalor’s decision means Gautreaux’s trial will be scheduled sooner than if it were a death penalty case, though even that will likely take some time.

In the meantime, police say, investigation continues into whether there were others allegedly involved in the killings.