Judge Whose Son Is Serial Rapist Makes ‘Unheard of’ Ruling in Rape Case

A Louisiana judge was criticized by prosecutors for making an “unheard of” ruling that overturned a rape conviction.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore asked the state Supreme Court to void District Judge Gail Horne Ray’s decision to throw out Donald Ray Link’s conviction altogether after Link asked the judge to reduce his sentence for parole. Link was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of rape in 1973.

“I’ve never seen this done ever or heard of it ever done before,” Moore told Baton Rouge’s WBRZ-TV in an interview earlier this month. “Clearly what was before her was something that was really simple to rule on and then to expand it to finding someone not guilty? It’s just something that’s unheard of.”

Parole or pardon processes are typically left to a state board or the governor, not judges. Newsweek reached out to Ray’s office via email for comment.

Ray’s son is Nelson Dan Taylor Jr., a convicted serial rapist. While Taylor was a student at Baton Rouge High School, he was convicted after admitting to a series of rapes. The then-17-year-old was accused of breaking into the homes of six girls between October 1995 and April 1996 and raping them.

Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of forcible rape and two counts of aggravated rape, according to 1998 court filing. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison as part of his plea deal, which also required that he serve at least 25 years.

Ray said she vacated Link’s conviction because the jury was given “improper instructions” during the trial.

“Ultimately, the trial court relies on its ‘inherent authority’ to reach its decision,” Moore wrote to the Louisiana Supreme Court. “The fact remains that the trial court does not possess the inherent authority to ignore proper legal procedures and consider whatever it wants, whenever it wants.”

Link has been in prison for the last five decades. He was sentenced by a jury to life in prison for a 1972 rape when he threatened a victim with a butcher knife. The state Supreme Court affirmed Link’s conviction in 1974.

“She has no authority whatsoever to do what she did and her reasoning was erroneous,” Moore told the local news outlet.

This is not the first time Ray has come under criticism for her ruling in a rape case. Last year, she reduced bail for De’Aundre Cox, who was accused of raping his preteen neighbor, a decision that was made without alerting the victim’s family or the district attorney’s office.

She is also overseeing the high-profile rape case of LSU student Madison Brooks. Brooks was allegedly raped by four suspects after a night of drinking in early 2023. The suspects reportedly left her on the side of a highway after raping her in the car. She was hit by a car and died from her injuries.

The story captured national attention after the defense leaked video footage that painted the 19-year-old in a bad light and her autopsy report. The suspects’ lawyers have also claimed there was a racist undertone in the prosecution’s decision to bring high-level charges. Three of the four men are Black. Brooks was white.