A tragic story unfolded in Palmdale, California in 2010 as 29-year-old vocational nurse LaNell Barsock was found dead in her own home.
Initially, police suspected that her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, was the one responsible for her murder. However, as the investigation unfolded, it was revealed that the real killer was LaNell’s former lover, Larene Austin.
LaNell’s body was discovered by Austin, who had been friends with the victim. The young nurse had been shot in the back of her head, and there were no signs of forced entry into her home. This led authorities to believe that the perpetrator was someone LaNell knew.
According to Austin, LaNell had been involved in an argument with Bonheur just hours before her death. The argument reportedly revolved around another man that LaNell was dating. Austin claimed to have seen Bonheur at the crime scene, but she fled out of fear.
A letter supposedly written by LaNell to Bonheur, stating that she was leaving him for another man, was found at the crime scene. However, surveillance footage placed Bonheur at a store in southern Los Angeles at the time of LaNell’s murder.
Additionally, a pair of black gloves and a plastic pitcher with Austin’s fingerprints were found, leading investigators to shift their focus to her.
After fleeing the country, Austin was arrested in Belize in 2012. She was eventually convicted of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of 25 years to life. Despite her attempts to appeal the verdict, the decision was upheld in 2017.
The tragic story of LaNell Barsock and the betrayal by someone she trusted is explored in an episode of Dateline NBC titled The Breakup.
