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his home, where they found handcuffs in his bedroom that had been used to restrain LeBlanc and
Bourque. They also found LeBlanc's car jack in Elmo's car. Later they discovered the buried guns that had been used in the murders. A bullet from one of the victims matched the guns, which belonged to the Sonnier brothers; another match was made from casings found at the crime scene. Police located a witness who saw Elmo Sonnier's car in St. Martin Parish.
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with their boyfriends. The two brothers had frequently posed as police officers and accosted such couples. They offered to let them go if the girl had sex with both brothers. Elmo told
Prejean that he and his brother had pulled the same ruse the night they encountered LeBlanc and Bourque, but his brother lost control and killed the teens.
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Sister Helen
Prejean later said that the younger brother, Eddie Sonnier, was guilty of killing LeBlanc and Bourque. She claimed that Elmo was innocent but he felt guilt over his criminal past and for participating in the rape of not only Bourque, but other teenage girls at "lover's lane" who had come
373:
and parked by the road. They handcuffed LeBlanc to a tree in a nearby wooded area. They took
Bourque from the car and Elmo raped her. The brothers told her they would release both her and LeBlanc unharmed if she had sex with Eddie James Sonnier. Bourque agreed. Afterward, the brothers took the couple
398:
The
Sonnier brothers were arrested on December 5, 1977. Elmo voluntarily confessed to police that he abducted LeBlanc and Bourque, raped Bourque, and killed both. He made a second statement admitting his guilt while being transported to jail, and a third confession the following day. Police searched
485:
to Lloyd LeBlanc, saying "I can understand the way you feel. I have no hatred in my heart. As I leave this world, I ask God to forgive ... me for what I did. I also ask your forgiveness for what I did." LeBlanc nodded, and then
Bourque remarked quietly "He didn't ask me." Sonnier was strapped
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The prosecution attacked the younger brother's credibility, establishing Elmo
Sonnier's lead in the crimes and responsibility for the murders. The state of Louisiana again sentenced Elmo to death. Eddie Sonnier was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole because he was a minor
473:
Sister Helen
Prejean, Elmo Sonnier's spiritual adviser, was permitted to visit with Sonnier during his final hours and to witness his execution. Godfrey Bourque and Lloyd LeBlanc, the fathers of Loretta Bourque and David LeBlanc, respectively, were also granted permission to witness the execution.
414:
During the trial, the brothers traded accusations as to who did the killings (under
Louisiana law, any person who participates in the killing of another human being may be subject to the death penalty, but the extent of participation may be considered when imposing penalty). They were said to have
418:
In April 1978, Elmo was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Eddie
Sonnier was also found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. After their first appeal, the court reversed their death sentences due to procedural errors. New sentencing hearings were scheduled.
365:
The Sonniers identified themselves as police officers and presented a badge that one of the brothers had acquired while working as a security guard. The brothers entered LeBlanc's car. They told the couple that they were trespassing on private property and were under arrest. The brothers took
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Eddie James Sonnier died in December 2013 at the age of 57, after a short illness, at Louisiana State Penitentiary. He is buried in the prison cemetery. Eddie Sonnier's job was incinerating waste, and prison officials stated that he received an illness during his job duties. Jim Butler of
439:, a Catholic nun, was assigned to him. After they started a correspondence, she began to visit him and became his spiritual adviser. He was the first of several death row inmates whom she counseled. Sr. Prejean subsequently became a nationally prominent
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LeBlanc's and Bourque's driver's licenses, handcuffed the couple, and moved them to the back seat. They then told the couple that they were going to drive them to the home of the land's owner to see if the owner wished to press trespassing charges.
362:. At around 1 a.m., the couple were approached by two men, 27-year-old Elmo Patrick "Pat" Sonnier and his younger brother, 20-year-old Eddie James Sonnier. The brothers had been in the area hunting rabbits and were armed with 22-caliber rifles.
324:
on April 5, 1984. Sonnier was sentenced to death on April 25, 1978, for the November 5, 1977, rape and murder of Loretta Ann Bourque, 18, and the murder of David LeBlanc, 17. Sonnier's younger brother, Eddie, was sentenced to life in prison.
389:
from LeBlanc's car to change their tire. The jack was later found in Elmo Sonnier's car. The following day, the brothers disposed of LeBlanc's and Bourque's driver's licenses and buried the weapons they used in the killings.
419:
During his brother's second penalty hearing, Eddie James Sonnier recanted his previous testimony, claiming that he was responsible for the killings, not his brother. He also sent a letter to Governor
374:
back to the car and removed their handcuffs. Elmo Sonnier decided against releasing them, as he feared the couple would report the incident and he would be reincarcerated at
470:
from the United States Supreme Court, claiming that a former cellmate of Eddie Sonnier's had overheard him confess to the murders. The Supreme Court rejected the request.
332:
was asked to write to death row inmates as part of her Order's community outreach program and wrote to Sonnier. She became his spiritual adviser and eventually wrote
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While on death row at Louisiana State Prison, Elmo Sonnier was contacted by an outreach effort setting up communication with inmates on death row. Sister
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as Matthew Poncelet, an amalgam of Sonnier and Willie. Her book was also adapted as an opera of the same name, first produced in 2000 by the
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On November 4, 1977, 17-year-old David LeBlanc and his 18-year-old girlfriend Loretta Ann Bourque attended the Homecoming football game at
505:, was held at a Baton Rouge-area funeral home. Sonnier was buried in Roselawn Memorial Park, in a burial plot normally reserved for nuns.
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nuns took responsibility to ensure a proper Catholic burial for Elmo Sonnier. The service, presided over by the bishop of Baton Rouge,
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stated that Eddie Sonnier was in "Obscurity", that is without attention from the public and press, when he died.
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Sonnier's execution date was set for April 5, 1984. On April 4, Sonnier's lawyer attempted to get a
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378:. The brothers forced the couple to lie face down in a ditch and fatally shot them several times.
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The brothers returned LeBlanc's car to St. Martin Parish. When they reached Elmo's 1961
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338:(1993) about her experience and her belief that the death penalty was morally wrong.
308:(February 21, 1950 – April 5, 1984) was a convicted American murderer and rapist in
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406:. Elmo Sonnier entered a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.
533:, another inmate on death row whom she counseled. The book was adapted as a 1995
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816:"La. Convict Dies In Electric Chair, Florida Execution Set For Today"
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been under the influence of drugs when they committed the crimes.
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354:. After the game, the couple drove to an isolated area in
683:"Last Minute Appeals Fail; Executions Still On Schedule"
529:(1993), about her relationship with Elmo Sonnier and
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385:, they discovered they had a flat tire. They used a
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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623:"Court refuses to block child killers execution"
369:The Sonniers drove the couple to an oilfield in
1069:People executed by Louisiana by electric chair
402:Both brothers were indicted on two counts of
973:Executions carried out in the United States
462:, where Sonnier was imprisoned and executed
1024:20th-century executions of American people
790:"Pair of killers dies in state executions"
898:"LOUISIANA: A MURDER, A MOVIE AND A WINK"
646:
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
871:"Eddie Sonnier dies in Angola obscurity"
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1064:People convicted of murder by Louisiana
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738:. University of Chicago Press. p.
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598:Capital punishment in the United States
523:Sister Helen Prejean published a book,
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927:The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney
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710:
518:
1019:20th-century executions by Louisiana
841:Zeringue, Jeff (December 27, 2013).
764:"Killers contrite before executions"
701:
603:List of people executed in Louisiana
47:adding citations to reliable sources
18:
1034:American people executed for murder
944:Executions carried out in Louisiana
13:
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687:Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal
869:Butler, Jim (January 13, 2014).
713:"Sonnier Brother Dies At Angola"
653:"Sonnier Brother Dies At Angola"
651:Grissom, Ken (January 7, 2014).
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170:West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
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1014:20th-century American criminals
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593:Capital punishment in Louisiana
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34:needs additional citations for
1054:Executed people from Louisiana
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711:Hodge, James (April 6, 1984).
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423:asserting the same position.
967:– March 31, 1984
460:Louisiana State Penitentiary
318:Louisiana State Penitentiary
166:Louisiana State Penitentiary
147:Saint Martinville, Louisiana
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822:. April 5, 1984. p. 6C
770:. April 6, 1984. p. 1A
689:. April 5, 1984. p. 2A
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981:Arthur Frederick Goode III
929:. Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
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796:. April 5, 1984. p. 1
734:Last Words of the Executed
629:. April 5, 1984. p. B
427:at the time of the crime.
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306:Elmo Patrick "Pat" Sonnier
182:Execution by electrocution
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730:Elder, Robert K. (2010).
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938:Johnny Taylor Jr. – 1984
843:"Sonnier dies in prison"
352:Iberia Parish, Louisiana
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274:Iberia Parish, Louisiana
1029:American male criminals
481:, Sonnier directed his
253:Loretta Ann Bourque, 18
951:Timothy Baldwin – 1984
545:as Sister Prejean and
497:Sr. Prejean and other
486:in what was known as "
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191:Roselawn Memorial Park
58:"Elmo Patrick Sonnier"
535:film of the same name
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1039:Burials in Louisiana
961:Ronald Clark O'Bryan
923:Elmo Patrick Sonnier
820:The News and Courier
451:Execution and burial
410:Trial and conviction
348:Catholic High School
312:who was executed by
127:Elmo Patrick Sonnier
43:improve this article
551:San Francisco Opera
490:", the state's oak
404:first degree murder
240:Eddie James Sonnier
218:First degree murder
178:Cause of death
1049:Crime in Louisiana
519:In popular culture
503:Stanley Joseph Ott
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441:anti-death penalty
16:Convicted murderer
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978:Succeeded by
949:Succeeded by
848:The Daily Iberian
749:978-0-226-20269-3
663:on April 16, 2014
531:Robert Lee Willie
479:execution chamber
468:stay of execution
356:St. Martin Parish
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255:David LeBlanc, 17
143:February 21, 1950
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659:. Archived from
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571:Louisiana portal
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526:Dead Man Walking
421:Edwin W. Edwards
335:Dead Man Walking
295:December 5, 1977
291:Date apprehended
285:22-caliber rifle
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437:Helen Prejean
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371:Iberia Parish
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330:Helen Prejean
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32:This article
30:
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21:
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1044:Cajun people
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902:. Retrieved
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882:September 5,
880:. Retrieved
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854:September 5,
852:. Retrieved
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824:. Retrieved
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798:. Retrieved
794:The Bulletin
793:
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772:. Retrieved
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691:. Retrieved
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665:. Retrieved
661:the original
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631:. Retrieved
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537:directed by
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512:Eunice Today
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431:Imprisonment
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360:lovers' lane
358:, a type of
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160:(1984-04-05)
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53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1009:1984 deaths
1004:1950 births
539:Tim Robbins
269:Location(s)
998:Categories
609:References
443:activist.
383:Dodge Dart
236:Partner(s)
220:(2 counts)
139:1950-02-21
99:April 2014
69:newspapers
826:April 14,
800:April 14,
774:April 14,
693:April 15,
667:April 15,
633:April 14,
547:Sean Penn
322:Louisiana
310:Louisiana
904:June 16,
557:See also
499:Catholic
200:Executed
985:Florida
917:Sources
717:pbs.org
477:In the
394:Arrests
328:Sister
281:Weapons
250:Victims
245:Details
83:scholar
746:
376:Angola
172:, U.S.
149:, U.S.
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56:
965:Texas
900:. PBS
342:Crime
229:Death
90:JSTOR
76:books
906:2008
884:2024
856:2024
828:2014
802:2014
776:2014
744:ISBN
695:2014
669:2014
635:2014
387:jack
260:Date
155:Died
133:Born
62:news
740:160
350:in
320:in
316:at
45:by
1000::
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703:^
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643:^
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