BATON ROUGE -- A man charged with second-degree murder and armed robbery had his charges dropped by prosecutors Thursday after his co-defendant refused to testify. 

Chadwick Alexander, 28, was accused with Keith Andre Brown of killing 36-year-old Joshua Roberts in a 2020 Murder in Scotlandville. 

The trial began with the prosecutors expecting that Brown would testify that Alexander was the one who shot and killed Roberts. 

"We believed that this defendant was guilty and that this defendant was the one that pulled the trigger," East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said. 

However at the last minute, Brown invoked his Fifth Amendment right, refusing to testify against Alexander.

Unfortunately for prosecutors, they determined they didn't have enough evidence to prove beyond any reasonable doubt without that testimony.

"I think this was a circumstantial case, there's really not a video showing exactly what happened. The jury would have to really believe the witnesses that testified and some of the other circumstantial evidence that would have led potentially to a conviction," Moore said. 

Moore said in his more than 50 years in law, he had not seen something like this happen before. 

Moore told WBRZ that Alexander was released from jail Thursday. He had spent nearly five years in there awaiting trial. 

We asked if this was it for the case or if they could bring charges later.

"Double jeopardy has attached, so for this defendant for these charges, it is over," Moore said. 

The state originally intended to prosecute both Brown and Alexander together. That was until earlier this month when a judge granted a motion from Alexander's attorney to try him separately.

Brown's trial is still set for August where he's facing a charge of second-degree murder and armed robbery. WBRZ asked Moore if the same thing could happen in Alexander's trial. 

"We do not anticipate Alexander being anywhere around or involved in this next trial against Brown. That case is completely separate from Alexander, who has no part whatsoever in the trial," Moore said. 

Moore added that Alexander will still be under court supervision.