Louisiana Man Sentenced in 1999 La Marque Sexual Assault Cold Case

GALVESTON, Texas — A Louisiana man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for a 1999 cold case aggravated sexual assault in La Marque after DNA profiling linked him to evidence collected nearly three decades ago, the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office announced.

49-year-old Preston Alvin Chenier Jr., formerly of DeQuincy, Louisiana, was convicted by a Galveston County jury following a trial in which prosecutors presented DNA evidence recovered from a 1999 Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) kit. On Monday, September 21, 2026, the jury rejected a defense request for probation and sentenced Chenier to eight years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

1999 Abduction and SANE Evidence Collection

The assault occurred on the night of Friday, December 4, 1999, when the victim was walking along FM 1764 in La Marque following an argument with her husband after leaving a local venue. A single-cab pickup truck occupied by two men wearing ski masks pulled up alongside her. The passenger, identified as Chenier’s cousin Michael Chenier, exited the vehicle with a knife and forced the woman into the truck.

Over the next several hours, both men repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim. At approximately 2:30 a.m., a bystander leaving work at Gulf Greyhound Park spotted the victim stumbling out of a roadside ditch wearing only her socks and immediately summoned help.

A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner at Mainland Medical Center (now HCA Mainland) conducted an emergency medical examination, documenting severe physical trauma, including vaginal bleeding and hacked hair. Nurse Examiner Lisa Gray testified that the victim had clearly been “manhandled.” Investigating officers with the La Marque Police Department preserved biological evidence from the exam and recovered ATM surveillance video showing a masked suspect using the victim’s stolen debit card.

CODIS Hit and Trial Proceedings

While initial investigative leads were exhausted, police preserved the biological evidence in storage. A CODIS database match eventually connected Chenier’s DNA profile to the recovered sperm cells, prompting former La Marque Police Detective Matthew Cypert to formally reopen the cold case, leading to Chenier’s indictment in September 2023.

During the trial, Texas DPS Crime Lab analysts confirmed that the biological evidence matched Chenier’s DNA. Taking the stand in his own defense, Chenier admitted to being present and agreed with most of the victim’s timeline, but claimed the encounter was consensual and denied seeing a knife.

Chief Violence Against Women Prosecutor Kate Willis challenged Chenier’s claims during closing arguments, telling jurors that “Chenier’s version of events is incredible and that the amount of coincidences needed to believe him was beyond logic.” The jury deliberated less than four hours before returning a guilty verdict.

During the punishment phase, defense counsel presented testimony from three of Chenier’s family members requesting community supervision based on his conduct over the intervening 27 years. Willis argued that the passage of time did not erase the severity of the crime, stating, “Just because he did not get brought to justice for almost 30 years, it does not erase the heinous actions he took that night.” Jurors deliberated four hours before rejecting probation and imposing the eight-year prison term.