Gunshot wounds were the culprit in Joseph Sonnier’s passing away. His life and family are discussed in the obituary that was written for him.
He ended up being a victim of the fixation that Thomas Michael Dixon had. His offspring spoke highly of him as a gentleman when it came to love. However, the ex-boyfriend of his girlfriend’s current girlfriend is the one who killed him out of jealousy.
NBC Dateline investigated his death and featured interviews with his family, in which they discussed his life up until the time of his passing away.
Joseph Sonnier Obituary- What Is His Death Cause?
In July of 2012, the body of Joseph Sonnier was discovered at his residence. He died as a result of being shot and stabbed.
The fact that he was killed by bullets is not mentioned in the obituary that he left behind. He sustained five gunshot wounds. But despite the fact that they knew he was already dead, the murderer stabbed him eleven times before abandoning his lifeless body.
Five days after the murder, a man named Paul Reynolds phoned the authorities and stated that his roommate, David Shepard, had told him that he had killed someone in Lubbock. He said that Shepard had admitted to the murder.
Reynolds stated that he had carried out an internet search, found information regarding Sonnier’s passing, and entertained the possibility that Sonnier had been Shepard’s victim.
Later on, when Shepard was being questioned by the police, he stated that his close friend Thomas Michael Dixon had bribed him to kill Sonnier by giving him a box of expensive Cuban cigars and three silver bars in exchange. In addition to this, the records from the pawn shop revealed that Shepard cashed in the silver bars on the day after the murder took place.
On July 16, 2012, officers detained Dixon on suspicion of having committed the crime. However, his first trial didn’t start until 2014, when David was called in to testify against him. He had already provided a confessional statement, as well as volunteered to take a plea deal and testify in order to escape being sentenced to death.
On the other hand, he admits to the judge and the jury, much to their surprise, that Dixon was not engaged in the murder at all, and that he was the one who actually committed it.
According to the defense, Dixon had simply asked Shephard to photograph Sonnier with other women so that he could show his ex-girlfriend, Richelle Shetina, the photos of Sonnier with other women. He wanted Shetina back in his life so badly that he was willing to do anything to cause a rift between the couple.
What Happened To Joseph Sonnier?
Joseph Sonnier was murdered in the comfort of his own home. David, the perpetrator of the murder, is currently serving a term of life in prison without the chance of release. On the other hand, the individual who was charged with providing the order for Sonnier’s murder was found guilty of two counts of capital murder in 2015 and received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In spite of this, his judgment was overturned after the District Court of Appeals examined his case in the year 2018. After posting a bond in the amount of $2 million, he was eventually released from jail.
But in 2020, he was found not guilty of the first count of capital murder and found not guilty of the second count of capital murder. At this time, he is serving a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Joseph Sonnier Age & Wiki Bio Details
Joseph Sonnier spent his entire childhood in the city of Shreveport. 1966 was the year that his family made the move there. He had completed his high schooling at Captain Shreve and graduated. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1976, where he was a summa cum laude graduate.
He was given the opportunity to complete his residency in the field of pathology at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, where he eventually became the Chief Resident. After finishing his education, he began working for DPA Laboratories as an employee and was eventually promoted to the position of partner before the company was eventually sold to AmeriPath.
At the time of his passing, he was serving Covenant Health System in AmeriPath, where he worked in AmeriPath, as both the Medical Director and Chief Pathologist. According to his wiki, he had 57 years under his belt when he passed away.
