Criminal Justice System, Police, Courts

If a preliminary hearing has been scheduled, then charges have been filed or the grand jury voted to indict.

This is a really abstract question, and whether or not something is "standard" isn't of any real importance to anything.

You can try talking with your brother's defense attorney, but he/she is under no obligation to talk with you about the case, so you might not get much or any info. You can also go to the court clerk's office and ask to view the case file. It should be public record, although with a hearing scheduled later this week, the file may not be available.

 

If a person is held more than 48-72 hours in a jail (you call them "parish prisons" in LA), the person is charged with something.

The victim's family gets sympathy from the prosecutor, but very little information MORE than the press or the public receive.

I have been a prosecutor, and know of what I speak.

I suggest you don't allow your relative to discuss any aspect of the case or charges with you or other family members.

If you want to know more, you can read the court documents, which are often found on the court's website.

You can also read the written press accounts surrounding the case, listen to various TV and radio news broadcasts, or speak to your relative's lawyer; if the lawyer chooses to speak with you.

 

That would be one guess.

When you attend, you'll know much more.

A LA lawyer breaks down "prelims":

Louisiana Criminal Court Process After Arrest

The LA Public defender's Office published an informative article on "prelims", read all about it:

http://lpdb.la.gov/Serving The Public/Programs/txtfiles/pdf/Preliminary Hearing Project.pdf

LSU Law review article of "prelims":

https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4097&context=lalrev

 

Sorry, but that's just a silly, ignorant statement.

I don't know. I suggest calling your brother's lawyer and asking.