Kriti Mehrotra
When 19-year-old Courtney Megan Coco was found dead inside a Winnie, Texas, building early on October 4, 2004, it shocked not just her loved ones but also the entire nation to the very core. After all, as carefully chronicled in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Who Killed Courtney Coco?,’ the youngster was a native of Alexandria, Louisiana, where she was seemingly leading a good, happy, stable life. But alas, it turns out she was slain by her elder sister Lace Shawntelle Evans’ then-partner David Burns — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about the former, we’ve got the details for you.
Who is Lace Evans?
Since there was a 7-year age gap between Lace and Courtney, the elder was always rather protective of the youngest of three while also ensuring her contentment in every sense of the term. It was thus no surprise they even worked together at a local dental office as the latter pursued a Criminal Justice degree from Northwestern State University, that is, until she quit on September 30. The last time she spoke to her baby sister was hence four days (on Thursday) before her unfortunate, untimely demise — everything seemed normal until this point, per official court records.
It was early on October 2 (Saturday) when Lace got into a quarrel with her fiancé of six years, David Burns, only for him to leave their home, return nearly 45 minutes later, and then leave again. She actually didn’t see or hear from him again until the afternoon of October 4 (Monday) — until the moment everyone gathered at her mother’s house upon being notified of Courtney’s death. However, it was too late; the couple soon broke up, got back together for a brief while four years later, and parted ways again for good, yet by this point, she had already begun doubting him.
According to Lace’s narrative, she’d noticed a gold ring she didn’t know her sister wore the very day her belongings were returned to the family, just to realize it perfectly matched her promise ring. She’d suspected Courtney and David were having an affair — she’d even unsuccessfully confronted them — but she never knew the former had a band with “grooves that fit perfectly into my ring.” Then there was the fact she saw an eerily familiar leopard print comforter at her beau’s mother’s home once they reconnected; her sister had one too, yet it was missing from her room when she died.
Lace Evans is Moving Forward in Her Life Now
Although it was in 2011 that authorities began considering David a person of interest owing to multiple claims of him having bragged about killing Courtney, he was only arrested in April 2021. Therefore, once the time came for him to ultimately stand trial in the fall of 2022, Lace did not hesitate to testify against him one bit, and she made it explicitly clear she was not with him over the weekend. The truth is there have been a few allegations she was directly involved in the homicide too, with the motive being money, but there has never been any concrete or circumstantial evidence against her.
Therefore, today, in her mid-40s, Lace Shawntelle Evans continues to reside in Alexandria, Louisiana, where she leads a comfortable, free life surrounded by her long-time partner, family, and friends. From what we can tell through her social media platforms, the LSU-Alexandria graduate still misses Courtney, yet she’s also trying her best to move on from the past while keeping her alive in her heart. She’s a proud dog mom, a partner, a daughter, and an older sister, plus she seems utterly determined not to let anyone or anything come in between her and her happiness anymore.
Read More: Stephanie Belgard: Where is Courtney Coco’s Mom Now?
