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VIDALIA, La. — A Ferriday man who reportedly raped and impregnated an 11-year-old girl pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment this week in Concordia Parish Seventh Judicial District Court.

Derrick Frazier, 39, of Ferriday, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of first-degree rape just before the jury had been selected for a trial scheduled on Monday, Sept. 30, with Division A Judge Kathy Johnson overseeing court proceedings, Assistant District Attorney Austin Lipsey said.

The now 12-year-old child was prepared to testify, face the perpetrator, and face cross-examination in front of a jury. The plea change spared her from having to do so.

“I couldn’t imagine the level of bravery that took,” Lipsey said.

As a result of his plea, Frazier was sentenced to life in prison without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. He received credit for any time served since his arrest in November of 2023 and has two years to file for post-conviction relief from the state.

“I didn’t speak to the defendant but I don’t think he wanted to go through the embarrassment and humiliation of a trial,” District Attorney Brad Burget said of why Frazier changed his plea to guilty at the last minute. Burget said Lipsey did a “phenomenal job” of preparing the case and thanked the petit jurors for showing up and for being prepared to serve.

On November 15, 2023, the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from a Ferriday elementary school that an 11-year-old juvenile had passed out during school hours. The child was subsequently transported to Trinity Medical Center where medical officials discovered the child was approximately 25 weeks pregnant. The juvenile’s mother, Rebecca Green, and her live-in boyfriend, Frazier, were both arrested.

Lipsey said the mother had been arraigned for the charge of failing to report the rape but has not had further court proceedings.

On February 15, 2024, the now 12-year-old juvenile gave birth and DNA samples were collected from the mother, the child, and from Frazier.  A paternity test confirmed that Derrick Frazier was the father of the baby.

“My heart and compassion goes out to this young lady and her family,” Lipsey said. “While Derrick Frazier’s justice came to a swift conclusion, this child will bear the results of Frazier’s heinous and vile act for a lifetime. My only hope is that the child and her family find peace in the unimaginable and are able to move forward, knowing Frazier will spend the rest of his life in prison. I would also like to thank the citizens of Concordia Parish who reported Monday for jury duty, as without you, victims such as this young lady would not receive the justice they so much deserve.”