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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/
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