Kriti Mehrotra
Dorothy Lou Robinson was found heinously murdered in the Mississippi River on May 2, 1985, less than 3 weeks after she vanished from her secluded home in Toca Village in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. She was 61 years old and proudly owned the Azalea Original Pet Cemetery, as explored in HBO’s ‘The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story,’ but she also faced some troubles. The victim was involved in a civil lawsuit when she disappeared, claiming Brandon Nodier and his then-wife, Bonnie Nodier, had conned her into signing over the title of her cemetery and land to them. She actually went missing 10 days before a hearing, so suspicion immediately fell on this duo.
Bonnie Nodier Was Once a Suspect in Dorothy Robinson’s Homicide
While not much information regarding Bonnie Nodier’s background, early years, or upbringing is publicly available as of writing, we do know she was a proud Louisiana native by the 1980s. That’s when her husband, Brandon Nodier, was hired by Dorothy Robinson as the groundskeeper for her 14-acre property in St. Bernard Parish, which included her secluded home and the pet cemetery. The couple was also given lodgings on the land, so they essentially knew all about how their boss was struggling with depression after losing her mother in 1979 and her business. In fact, at some point, Bonnie moved in with the 61-year-old and took responsibility for driving her around whenever needed.
Therefore, when Dorothy suddenly went missing on April 13, 1985, officials wished to interview everyone close to her, including her friends, employees, and Bonnie. According to records, investigators never could get a hold of the latter, and they soon learned that she and Brandon had recently divorced but were named co-defendants in a civil lawsuit brought by Dorothy in November 1984. Her original filing alleged they had conned her into signing over the title of her 14-acre property to them through a company Brandon owned while she was heavily medicated for her depression. As if that’s not enough, she claimed that roughly 3 years prior, they had allegedly also manipulated her into a 99-year lease giving the cemetery to his company for use at just $20 per month.
A hearing in the civil lawsuit was scheduled for late April 1985, and Dorothy disappeared 10 days prior, leading investigators to wonder whether Brandon and Bonnie had masterminded the entire ordeal. The fact that the victim was found strangled and chained in the Mississippi River on May 2 didn’t help their case either, especially as Bonnie had fully moved herself into her late boss’ home by that point. She reportedly subsequently also refused to let anyone on the property, not even the 61-year-old’s loved ones who wished to gather some of her belongings or investigators who hoped to question her. In the days, weeks, months, and years to pass, the homicide case grew cold as there seemed to be no evidence against anyone, and it remains true for Bonnie to this day.
Bonnie Nodier Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life Well Away From the Limelight Today
Dorothy’s case was reopened by the authorities in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, in 2009, after an anonymous caller came forward to claim that Brandon had once bragged about killing her. The witness further stated he felt compelled to finally reveal the truth after 24 years because the ghost of the pet cemetery’s owner was haunting him and urging him to do the right thing. Another witness came forward in 2012, identifying themselves as James Tregler and claiming he was not only Brandon’s assistant groundskeeper back in 1985 but had also seen the crime with his own two eyes. As per records, James was in prison for an unrelated offense, and he claimed Brandon had once come to see him just to threaten him to ensure he wouldn’t speak about the old, cold case.
However, James told detectives he now felt compelled owing to Dorothy’s ghost haunting him, too. The reason they actually chose to believe him, though, was that he provided details that had never been made public before. He also vehemently stated Brandon alone was responsible for the homicide, essentially clearing Bonnie’s name from any long-held doubts or suspicion. Brandon was thus arrested on one count of second-degree murder in April 2012, only for him to eventually choose to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in July 2014.
On the other hand, Bonnie was never arrested, charged, tried, or convicted in this matter in any capacity, enabling her to lead a quiet life, which she now enjoys in the area of Arabi, Louisiana. From what we can tell, she is 69 years old as of writing and has likely chosen to remain associated with Brandon. We specify their potential continued association because she was still referred to as his partner in the 2014 obituary for his mother and the 2025 obituary for his younger sister.
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