Kumari Shreya
In ABC’s ’48 Hours: The Suspicious Death of Megan Parra,’ the viewers get to know about the passing of Megan Parra, a resident of Cottonport, Louisiana. At the time of her death in June 2014, Megan was married to Dustin Perra, who is one of the most prominent people talked about in the case. Over nine years since Megan was found dead, the case continues to retain the interest of many thanks to the highly intriguing circumstances surrounding the incident.
Who is Dustin Parra?
In June 2014, Steve and Missy Ducote discovered that their daughter Megan Parra was lying in a pool of her own blood in her living room. The blood came from a gunshot wound and prompted the parents to immediately contact proper authorities as well as their son-in-law, Dustin Parra. At the time, Megan was still breathing, and Missy tried to help by using her own skills as a nurse. Unfortunately, Megan ended up passing away the very next day in the hospital.
Given the placement of the gun near Megan’s body, many, including Steve, initially assumed that Megan had shot herself. Dustin, who had arrived minutes after Steve had told him about his wife lying in the living room, was also father to Megan’s two sons and did not seem to have any other thoughts to add to the leading theory that Megan had committed suicide, which is where the case was shut down. However, not much later, Steve and his family grew suspicious that not all might be what it seemed like.
Using photos from the crime scene, Steve started to gather evidence that his daughter may have been murdered. With the help of retired FBI agents David Lemoine and Zack Shelton, the case was reopened, and the elements that had not yet been inspected were looked at very closely again. Now being investigated as a homicide, Megan Parra’s death was being looked at from different angles. This is where Dustin revealed during a questioning that while he had indeed been having an affair, he was unsure that Megan knew about it.
What truly turned the case on its head was the 2021 discovery of the shorts that Dustin had been wearing on the day of Megan’s death. The blood splatters on his clothes indicated that he was likely present when his wife was shot with a gun, either by him or someone else. Should the latter be the case, it made no sense why it was not him who contacted the emergency services unless he had something he wanted to hide from the world and the law.
Dustin Parra is Still in Jail Today
Though Megan Parra’s death was officially ruled to be suicide for seven years, the eventual conclusion that it was a homicide implicated Dustin Perra heavily. Ultimately, on March 9, 2023, Dustin pleaded no contest to the charge of negligent homicide that was levied against him. He opened up about how he and Megan had been having problems in their marriage. In fact, on June 28, 2014, the couple was arguing yet again, with Megan allegedly claiming that she would leave Dustin.
Dustin stated that he had had his pistol in his hand during this time and that the weapon had fired in the middle of the argument, hitting Megan. The husband had then decided to leave the house in order to not implicate himself and only returned after the call made by Steve Ducote. For his actions, Dustin was sentenced to five years in prison. As of writing, the father of two is still in jail and has agreed that should he be released early, then he will spend the remaining term of his sentence on parole.
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