A state judge upheld contempt rulings on two Baton Rouge public defenders Wednesday and fined both attorneys for alleged misconduct during a contentious murder trial earlier this year.

Stephen Sterling and La’Deisha Woods were part of Brian Alexander Lavergne’s team of trial attorneys in August when he was tried the second time in 10 months for a 2021 double homicide. The retrial ended with a jury convicting Lavergne on both counts of second-degree murder. He’s expected to be sentenced Thursday.

District Judge Louise Hines Myers, who presided over the retrial, issued eight counts of contempt against Sterling, the lead defense attorney in the case. She also held Woods in contempt on three counts and kicked her out of the courtroom midway through the proceedings. She barred Woods from

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