Two men convicted of manslaughter and armed robbery respectively were given long prison terms Wednesday by District Judge Richard Swartz because of their previous criminal records.

Brandon Twillie, 27, of Slidell got 50 years in prison for his May conviction on a manslaughter charge. Twillie killed 19-year-old Thomas Cousin, also of Slidell back in June 2006. According to court records, Twillie and Cousin were involved in a drug deal that went sour on East Hllcrest Street, and Twillie shot Cousin dead with a handgun. Twillie hid from police in the woods near the murder scene, then stole a car, robbed a bank on Gause Boulevard, then used the stolen car to drive to Houston. Three days later, the U.S. Marshal’s Service captured Twillie at a Houston apartment complex. Twillie told police that at the time of the shooting, he was high on cocaine. Twillie was convicted of manslaughter back in June of this year.

Swartz also sentenced Jason Walstrum, 37, of Mandeville, to 60 years in prison for an armed robbery that occurred in June 30, 2008. Walstrum went into the Sonic Drive-in at 4610 Louisiana Highway 22 with a handgun and demanded the two employees open the safe. When he was told the safe could not be opened, he took an unspecified amount of money from the cash register and fled. However, before he left, Walstrum threatened the employees that he would spray the restaurant with bullets if anyone followed him.

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Mandeville police, using video from a nearby gas station, identified Walstrum, and St. Tammany Sheriff’s deputies spotted Walstrum’s car July 6 near the Mandeville exit on Interstate 12. They stopped the car and arrested Walstrum. Walstrum was convicted of armed robbery in May of this year.

When Swartz sentenced Walstrum, he took into account Walstrum’s long criminal record. Walstrum was convicted of intent to sell drugs by Mississippi authorities in 2006. At the time of his arrest, Walstrum was on probation for the conviction and was not even supposed to be in Louisiana. He also has convictions for burglary and aggravated assault in 1994 in Florida, and a 1991 conviction for grand theft also in Florida.