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Tonight’s episode of Dateline NBC covers the murder-for-hire plot and killing of pathologist Joseph Sonnier, III. Andrea Canning reports on the crime and the lead-up to it, including the deadly love triangle that led to Sonnier’s murder. David Shepard has been convicted of killing the pathologist, according to ABC News.
According to ABC News, Dr. Joseph Sonnier was murdered in his home on July 10, 2012. The doctor was the target of a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by his then-girlfriend’s jealous ex-boyfriend, Dr. Thomas Dixon. According to KFDA 10, Dixon was obsessed with Sonnier and his relationship with Richelle Shetina, a former professional cheerleader that dated Dixon for a time, leaving him heartbroken after their breakup.
David Shepard was friends with Dixon, KFDA 10 reported. The report obtained by the outlet said that Shepard entered Sonnier’s home and shot and stabbed him, leaving a trail of blood and cartridge casings leading to the garage where Sonnier was found.
David Shepard Pleaded No Contest and Was Sentenced to Life In Prison For Killing Sonnier
David Shepard is currently serving a life sentence in prison, according to the Texas Department of Corrections. The website states that he is in the Connally department of corrections located in Kenedy, Texas. He is not eligible for parole.
Soon after Sonnier’s body was discovered, the report released by KFDA 10 states, Shepard slit his wrist and tried to overdose on pills, later confessing the crime to his roommate. He said that he and Dixon planned out the murder of Sonnier.
ABC News reported that Shepard was paid in three silver bars along with a box of expensive Cuban cigars. The day after the murder, he allegedly sold one of those silver bars at a pawn shop.
Shepard Was a Witness in the First Trial Against Dixon
David Shepard was the prosecution’s star witness in the case against Dr. Thomas Dixon, according to ABC News. Before the trial, he accepted a plea deal that included him pleading no contest. The deal, however, allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
However, once he got on the stand, ABC News reported, Shepard changed his story completely, claiming that Dixon was not involved in the murder at all and that Shepard acted completely alone.
The defense used the opportunity to argue that Shepard was only paid the silver bars as part of an investment in a company the two were planning to start together, according to ABC News. They said the only reason Dixon and Shepard had talked about Sonnier was that Dixon asked Shepard to take photos of Sonnier out with women who were not his girlfriend to prove he was cheating. That first trial against Dixon ended in a hung jury and a mistrial was declared.
Later, Dixon had a new trial after which he was convicted of murder. Shepard did not testify during that trial. Afterward, his conviction was overturned by the court of appeals on the grounds that some of the cell phone records used by the prosecution may not have been obtained with a proper warrant, according to EverythingLubbock.com. That was later reinstated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin.
Shepard is still serving his time in prison and will be there for the rest of his life, as he has no possibility of parole.
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