A New Orleans teenager pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges in connection with multiple carjackings in the city and still faces a state second-degree murder charge in connection with the death of a 12-year-old boy.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans said Tyrese Harris, 19, pleaded guilty to five federal charges, including one for using a firearm in a carjacking, which could land him in prison for life.
The crimes to which he pleaded guilty also include a carjacking at the gasoline pumps at a New Orleans Costco in Feb. 22, during which the car's owner suffered serious injuries when she was dragged behind the car, according to local news outlets.
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Sentencing on the federal crimes is set for May 30. Meanwhile, Harris still faces a state second-degree murder charge that, if he is found guilty, would land him a mandatory life sentence.
New Orleans news outlets reported Harris was charged after police linked him to the death of Derrick Cash, a 12-year-old boy found shot to death in New Orleans in January of last year. Court records show Harris has yet to make a plea in that case.
Harris' attorney declined comment before the federal sentencing, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported.
