Bullet wounds were the cause of Joseph Sonnier’s death. His life and family are mentioned in his obituary.
Thomas Michael Dixon’s preoccupation made him a victim. His sons characterized him as a kind man who loved his family. But his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend killed him out of jealousy.
NBC Dateline investigated his case and featured family interviews in which they discussed his life before his death.
Joseph Sonnier
Joseph Sonnier obituary – What is the cause of his death?
In July 2012, the body of Joseph Sonnier was discovered at his home. He was killed after being shot and stabbed.
Although the reason for his death was not stated in his obituary, he was shot. 5 shots were fired at him. But even after realizing he was already dead, the murderer continued to stab him 11 times before disappearing with his corpse.
Five days after the murder, a guy by the name of Paul Reynolds contacted the police to say that his roommate, David Shepard, had claimed to have killed someone in Lubbock.
Reynolds said that after researching online, he learned more about Sonnier’s death and speculated that Sonnier might have been Shepard’s victim.
Later, when questioned by police, Shepard said that as compensation for Sonnier’s murder, his friend Thomas Michael Dixon gave him a box of expensive Cuban cigars and three silver bars. Additionally, the pawnbroker’s records indicated that Shepard had cashed in the silver bullion the day after the murder.
On July 16, 2012, police arrested Dixon for the alleged murder. But David was forced to stand trial, and that’s when his first trial began. In order to avoid the death penalty, he had previously confessed and decided to enter into a plea agreement and testify.
He surprises everyone on the stand, however, when he admits he committed the crime and that Dixon was not involved.
According to the defense, Dixon simply asked Shephard to take pictures of Sonnier with other women so he could introduce them to Richelle Shetina, his ex-girlfriend. He wished for Shetina to come back into his life, so he sought to sever ties with the couple.
What happened to Joseph Sonnier?
At home, Joseph Sonnier died. David, the murderer, is currently imprisoned for life without the possibility of release. However, the individual who was accused of giving the order to kill Sonnier was convicted of two counts of capital murder in 2015 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, his verdict was overturned once the District Court of Appeals considered his appeal in 2018. As a result, he was released after posting $2 million bond.
But in 2020, the second count of capital murder was dropped but the first count was confirmed. He is currently incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole.
Joseph Sonnier Age & Wiki Bio Found
Shreveport is where Joseph Sonnier was born and raised. In 1966, his family moved there. He was an alumnus of Captain Shreve High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1976.
At Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, where he served as chief resident, he was chosen for a pathology residency. After graduating, he worked for DPA Laboratories before becoming a partner and selling the company to AmeriPath.
At the time of his death, he was working for Covenant Health System at AmeriPath as Medical Director and Chief Pathologist. According to his wiki, he was 57 when he died.
