Shivangi Sinha
Police officers in Palmdale, California, were left astounded on June 16, 2010, when a woman rushed into the Sheriff’s station claiming that her friend had been killed. Once officers rushed to the crime scene, they found LaNell Barsock shot to death and lying in a pool of blood. A look at the house revealed that there had been an attempt at a clean-up, and with no signs of struggle or break-in, the police knew it was the work of someone LaNell knew. NBC’s Dateline’s ‘The Last Day’ episode, The Case of LaNell Barsock’ chronicles the heinous murder and shows how the ensuing investigation revealed a sinister murder plot fueled by jealousy.
LaNell Barsock’s Friend Stumbled Onto Her Dead Body
A resident of Palmdale, California, LaNell Barsock was quite popular in her local community. Her friends and family described her as a kindhearted and generous woman who never failed to help anyone in need. Besides, she worked as a licensed vocational nurse. The 29-year-old was well off and maintained a friendly relationship with most others in her society. Thus, it was a dark day indeed when such a wonderful life was snatched away in a hate-fueled crime.
On June 16, 2010, the Sheriff’s office was going about its usual duties when a woman named Larene Austin burst through the door. Larene claimed she had overheard her friend, LaNell, arguing with her boyfriend. She said she returned later that night and saw the garage door open. It was very dark, and Larene slipped on some liquid on the floor. When she could finally see, she saw blood on the floor and then noticed LaNell lying on the floor and not moving. Realizing the urgency of the situation, authorities followed the woman back and found her friend collapsed on the floor of her garage.
LaNell had a plastic bag around her head and was lying in a pool of blood. At first glance, officers believed the victim was bludgeoned to death, but an autopsy soon determined that a single gunshot wound at close range claimed her life. Interestingly, there was no sign of a forced entry, and nothing looked stolen, indicating that the victim knew her attacker.
LaNell’s Killer Was Arrested in a Foreign County
Once the police began investigating the murder, Larene Austin claimed that she had overheard LaNell and her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, arguing hours before the murder. According to the show, LaNell was trying to keep her options open and seeing two men simultaneously. Larene claimed that Louis had found out about the other guy and was livid to know the truth. Moreover, she also alleged that Louis was alone with the deceased body when she chanced upon the crime scene for the first time.
Considering Larene’s statement, the police began looking into Louis and even questioned him about the incident. However, he seemed devastated by LaNell’s death and claimed he had nothing to do with the murder. However, he was arrested and held in the county jail for further questioning. He claimed to be at LaNell’s mother’s house at the time when she was killed, but until the police could get his phone records, they suspected his involvement. It was only after a month that the police were able to go through CCTV footage and trace his movement on the day of the crime, that they knew Louis was telling the truth and had nothing to do with it.
According to the show, the police discovered that LaNell was also interested in women and had, at times, tried her luck finding a date online. They also learned that she met Larene Austin through a dating ad on craigslist, and the two were involved for a few weeks before the vocational nurse decided to break it off. However, the breakup did not sit well with Larene, who bore a grudge against LaNell and was waiting for revenge. This discovery gave Larene enough motive to carry out a murder, and the police decided it was time to bring her in for questioning.
By this time, the detectives also found a pair of bloodied rubber gloves at the crime scene, which had Larene’s DNA on them. Although forensic evidence tied Larene to the crime, the police couldn’t bring her in as the suspect fled to the Central American country of Belize. For quite some time, her whereabouts remained unknown until she was featured on ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ which helped detectives locate and arrest her in Belize. Once extradited and produced in court, Larene pled not guilty, but the jury convicted her of first-degree murder. In 2015, she was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 50 years before parole.
Read More: Where Is Larene Austin Now?
