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Thread: Ebony Nicole Sonnier Sentenced in 2017 LA Triple Murder

  1. #11
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    Trial of man accused in triple homicide moved to Sept. 13

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    An Alexandria man accused in the deaths of three people whose bodies were found in two locations in October 2017 has a new trial date.

    Matthew Sonnier, 32, has been indicted on three counts of first-degree murder in the October 2017 deaths of Jeremy Deon Norris, 28; Kendrick Dwann Horn, 33; and Latish Renee White, 42.

    He also faces two counts of obstruction of justice from a separate indictment related to the case. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

    White's body was found lying on Melrose Street in Pineville in the early morning of Oct. 18, 2017. She had been stabbed multiple times and thrown from a car.

    The bodies of Norris and Horn were found hours later after a passing motorist alerted officials about a fire in a ditch on Old Boyce Road outside of Alexandria. Their bodies were found wrapped in a pool liner in the fire.

    The arrests of Sonnier and his sister, 34-year-old Ebony Nicole Sonnier, in connection to the three deaths were announced the next week.

    Ebony Sonnier also has been indicted and faces a separate trial in August on three counts of first-degree murder and being an accessory after the fact. Like her brother, she faces two counts of obstruction of justice in a separate indictment.

    The siblings have been in custody since their arrests.

    On Wednesday, Hazel denied a defense motion to identify an informant police spoke with while investigating the case. He also agreed to receive briefs from the defense and prosecution regarding what past crimes of Sonnier's might be introduced by the state should he be convicted on the murder charges.

    Then, talk turned to setting a new trial date. Sonnier's trial had been set for Feb. 22, but a Louisiana Supreme Court order pushed all jury trials back to at least after March 1 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Hazel said the virus isn't to be taken lightly and spoke about losing a friend, former state Rep. Steve Carter, to it on Tuesday. But he expressed frustration with how it has delayed the resolution of cases for victims and defendants.

    "People need their day in court," he said.

    Sonnier's new trial date is Sept. 13. A status conference will be held on Aug. 9.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...de/4278882001/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #12
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    Death penalty trial for Matthew Sonnier delayed due to Hurricane Ida’s impact

    Third Circuit grants writ filed by capital defense attorneys; new trial date uncertain

    By Brooke Buford
    KALB News

    ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - The death penalty trial for Matthew Sonnier, 33 of Pineville, which was set to start in the 9th Judicial District Court in Rapides Parish next week, has been continued due to Hurricane Ida’s impact.

    The decision was made by the Third Circuit Court of Appeal on Friday based off a writ filed by attorneys with the Baton Rouge Capital Conflict Office.

    Considering defense counsel’s inability to adequately prepare for Defendant’s capital murder trial due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida, we find the trial court abused its discretion in denying Defendant’s motion to continue. Accordingly, we grant Defendant’s writ application, reverse the trial court’s denial of Defendant’s motion to continue, and remand the case for further proceedings with this court’s ruling.”

    Third Circuit Court of Appeal


    The Third Circuit stopped short, however, of granting a stay in the case.

    Sonnier is charged with three counts of first degree murder for the Oct. 18, 2017 deaths of Jeremy Norris, 28, Kendrick Horn, 33, and Latish White, 42. He also faces two counts of obstruction of justice from a separate indictment related to the case. If convicted on the murder charges, he faces the death penalty.

    White’s body was found on Melrose Street in Pineville. She had been stabbed multiple times and thrown out from a car. The bodies of Norris and Horn were found several hours later wrapped in a pool liner burning in ditch on Old Boyce Road, just outside of Alexandria.

    Sonnier’s sister, Ebony Sonnier, is also charged in the case.

    Meanwhile, a second writ filed by the defense looking to stop the trial due to COVID-19 was outright denied by the Third Circuit.

    There’s no word yet on when the trial for Sonnier will now take place.

    Rapides Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell issued this statement about the Third Circuit’s decision.

    “While the ruling of the higher court must be respected and followed, the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office strongly agrees with Judge (Chris) Hazel that the trial needs to proceed so that justice for the victims’ families can be obtained. The Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office remains committed to securing a new trial date as soon as possible, as the defense has had four years to prepare for trial.”

    Rapides Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell


    The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant District Attorneys Hugo Holland and Lea Hall. The case is assigned to Judge Chris Hazel.

    https://www.kalb.com/2021/09/07/deat...e-idas-impact/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #13
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    New death penalty trial date set for Matthew Sonnier for March 2022

    By Brook Buford
    KALB News

    ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - A new death penalty trial date has been set for Matthew Sonnier, 33, of Pineville. Sonnier is charged with three counts of first degree murder for the Oct. 18, 2017 deaths of Jeremy Norris, 28, Kendrick Horn, 33, and Latish White, 42.

    He also faces two counts of obstruction of justice from a separate indictment related to the case.

    If convicted on the murder charges, he faces the death penalty.

    On Wednesday, Rapides Parish Judge Chris Hazel set a new trial date for March 7, 2022. Three weeks have been allotted for the trial. A final status conference will take place on Feb. 25, 2022.

    The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant District Attorneys Hugo Holland and Lea Hall.

    https://www.kalb.com/2021/09/16/new-...er-march-2022/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #14
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    Matthew Sonnier gets 3 consecutive life sentences in 2017 deaths

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    Matthew Sonnier, who was facing the death penalty in his upcoming trial, pleaded guilty on Friday morning in the 2017 deaths of three people whose bodies were found in two locations in Rapides Parish.

    Sonnier pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jeremy Deon Norris, 28; Kendrick Dwann Horn, 33; and Latish Renee White, 42.

    Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Chris Hazel sentenced Sonnier, 33, to three consecutive life sentences at hard labor without the possibility of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

    The bodies of Norris and Horn were found in a ditch on Old Boyce Road, while White's body was found on Melrose Street in Pineville.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...es/6642225001/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #15
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    Bail set for suspect in 2017 triple homicide after state drops death penalty

    By Brook Buford
    KALB News

    RAPIDES PARISH, La. (KALB) - A Rapides Parish judge has set bond for Ebony Sonnier, 35, the Pineville woman charged with three counts of first-degree murder and a count of accessory after the fact for the Oct. 18, 2017, deaths of Jeremy Norris, 28, Kendrick Horn, 33, and Latish White, 42.

    The bodies of the three victims had been found in two different locations in the parish. White had been stabbed to death and was found on Melrose Street in Pineville. Norris and Horn were found on Old Boyce Road. Norris and Horn had been shot, their bodies wrapped in a pool liner and were set on fire.

    Sonnier and her brother, Matthew, were both charged in the case. Matthew Sonnier is serving three life sentences for his role after pleading guilty in February 2022 to three counts of first-degree murder. He was initially facing the death penalty.

    On Monday, June 13, 2022, Ebony Sonnier was in court on a motion to set her bond. Her attorney, Kerry Cuccia, argued that because the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office is no longer seeking the death penalty in her case, she is entitled to have a bond set.

    Police reports, transcripts and statements were filed into the record. Judge Mary Doggett set the bond at $800,000 total - $250,000 for each murder charge and $50,000 for the accessory charge.

    A status conference is set for July 11. The case is being prosecuted by Christopher Bowman.

    https://www.kalb.com/2022/06/13/bail...death-penalty/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #16
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    Judge rules state can't use some photos in Ebony Sonnier triple murder trial

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    A Rapides Parish judge has ruled that the state cannot call a Bossier Parish Sheriff's captain to testify about Ebony Sonnier's cellphone location at her trial this week.

    Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Mary Lauve Doggett also ruled Friday that 14 photographs the state had intended to introduce are inadmissible as evidence.

    Sonnier, who faces two counts of first-degree murder in an October 2017 homicide case, is set for trial this week.

    She also faces one felony count of being an accessory after the fact and two felony counts of obstruction of justice in the Oct. 18, 2017, deaths of Jeremy Deon Norris, 28; Kendrick Dwann Horn, 33; and Latish Renee White, 42.

    Her brother, Matthew Sonnier, accepted a plea bargain in February that sent him to prison for three life terms. Both siblings had faced the death penalty before his plea bargain.

    Ebony Sonnier's defense team had filed motions asking Doggett to rule against the use of crime scene photos they believed would prejudice the jury against their client. While Doggett ruled that 14 would be inadmissible, she wrote the remaining photos from the prosecution can be introduced.

    Doggett also granted the defense's motion to bar the captain's testimony and an accompanying video about Sonnier's cellphone location on the day of the killings, ruling the state's notice "was outside the time limitations provided by law and this court's case management order."

    Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday morning.

    https://news.yahoo.com/judge-rules-s...163730324.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #17
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    Ebony Sonnier takes plea bargain during murder trial's first break, gets 40 years

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    Ebony Nicole Sonnier decided to take a plea bargain Thursday during the first break in her first-degree murder trial.

    Sonnier, 36, pleaded no contest to two reduced charges of manslaughter and one felony count of being an accessory after the fact. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison on each manslaughter charge, which is the maximum, and five years on the accessory charge.

    She had faced two counts of first-degree murder and one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.

    She and her brother, Matthew Sonnier, were arrested not long after the bodies of three people were found in two different places in Rapides Parish on Oct. 18, 2017.

    The bodies of Jeremy Deon Norris, 28, and 33-year-old Kendrick Dwann Horn were found wrapped in a pool liner that had been dumped in a ditch on Old Boyce Road outside Alexandria, and the liner was set on fire, police said.

    Latish Renee White, 42, was stabbed and dumped out of a car onto Melrose Street in Pineville.

    Both siblings faced the death penalty until Matthew Sonnier accepted a plea bargain in February. He was sentenced to three life sentences, and the death penalty against his sister was dropped.

    A no-contest plea means the defendant isn't admitting guilt but agrees to accept punishment. According to Rapides Parish Clerk of Court records, the victims' families agreed to the plea bargain.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...s/10303080002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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