Elmo Patrick Sonnier
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Elmo Patrick "Pat" Sonnier (February 21, 1950 – April 5, 1984) was a convicted American murderer and rapist in Louisiana who was executed by
electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...
at
Louisiana State Penitentiary The Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola, and nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the South", "The Angola Plantation" and "The Farm"Sutton, Keith "Catfish".Out There: Angola angling. ''ESPN Outdoors''. May 31, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. ...
in
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
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. His younger brother, Eddie, was sentenced to life in prison. Sister
Helen Prejean Helen Prejean ( ; born April 21, 1939) is a Catholic religious sister and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. She is known for her best-selling book, '' Dead Man Walking'' (1993), based on her experiences with t ...
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 '' Dead Man Walking'' (1993) about her experience and her belief that the death penalty was morally wrong.


Crime

On November 4, 1977, 17-year-old David LeBlanc and his girlfriend 18-year-old Loretta Ann Bourque attended the Homecoming football game at
Catholic High School Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...
in
Iberia Parish, Louisiana Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia. The parish was formed in 1868 during ...
. After the game, the couple drove to an isolated area in St. Martin Parish, a type of
lovers' lane A lovers' lane is a secluded area where people kiss, make out, or engage in sexual activity. These areas range from parking lots in secluded rural areas to places with extraordinary views of a cityscape or other features. "Lovers' lanes" are typ ...
. 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. 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 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. The Sonniers drove the couple to an oilfield in
Iberia Parish Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia. The parish was formed in 1868 during ...
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 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
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
. The brothers forced the couple to lie face down in a ditch and fatally shot them several times. The brothers returned LeBlanc's car to St. Martin Parish. When they reached Elmo's 1961
Dodge Dart Dodge Dart is a line of automobiles marketed by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car featuring ...
, they discovered they had a flat tire. They used a
jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
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.


Arrests

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 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. Both brothers were indicted on two counts of
first degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
. Elmo Sonnier entered a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.


Trial and conviction

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 been under the influence of drugs when they committed the crimes. 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. 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 Edwin W. Edwards asserting the same position. 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 at the time of the crime.


Imprisonment

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
Helen Prejean Helen Prejean ( ; born April 21, 1939) is a Catholic religious sister and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. She is known for her best-selling book, '' Dead Man Walking'' (1993), based on her experiences with t ...
, 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
anti-death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
activist. 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 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.


Execution and burial

Sonnier's execution date was set for April 5, 1984. On April 4, Sonnier's lawyer attempted to get a
stay of execution A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not always mean the death penalty. It refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed and i ...
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. 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. In the
execution chamber An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which capital punishment is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death ro ...
, Sonnier directed his last statement 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 in what was known as "
Gruesome Gertie Gruesome Gertie was the nickname given by death row inmates to the Louisiana electric chair. It is also widely known for the failed execution of Willie Francis, the first failed execution by electric chair. History The 1940 Louisiana legislature ...
", the state's oak
electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...
. After electrical currents were administered, Elmo Patrick Sonnier was pronounced dead at 12:15 a.m. Sr. Prejean and other
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
nuns took responsibility to ensure a proper Catholic burial for Elmo Sonnier. The service, presided over by the bishop of Baton Rouge, Stanley Joseph Ott, was held at a Baton Rouge-area funeral home. Sonnier was buried in Roselawn Memorial Park, in a burial plot normally reserved for nuns. Eddie James Sonnier died in December 2013 at the age of 57, after a short illness, at Louisiana State Prison. He is buried in the prison cemetery.


In popular culture

Sister Helen Prejean published a book, '' Dead Man Walking'' (1993), about her relationship with Elmo Sonnier and
Robert Lee Willie Robert Lee Willie (January 2, 1958 – December 28, 1984) was an American serial killer who killed at least three people in Louisiana from the late 1970s to 1980. He was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of 18-year-old Faith Hathaway and ...
, another inmate on death row whom she counseled. The book was adapted as a 1995 film of the same name directed by
Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film ''The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his role ...
and starring
Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...
as Sister Prejean and
Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...
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
San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he ...
.


See also

*
Capital punishment in Louisiana Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Louisiana. Despite remaining a legal punishment, there have been no executions in Louisiana since 2010, and no involuntary executions since 2002. Execution protocols are tied up in litigation due to a ...
*
Capital punishment in the United States In the United States, capital punishment is a legal penalty throughout the country at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 s ...
* List of people executed in Louisiana


References


Sources


Elmo Patrick Sonnier
''The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney''. Retrieved on 2007-11-12. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sonnier, Elmo Patrick 1950 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American criminals 20th-century executions by Louisiana 20th-century executions of American people American male criminals American murderers American people executed for murder Burials in Louisiana Cajun people Crime in Louisiana Executed people from Louisiana Male murderers People convicted of murder by Louisiana People executed by Louisiana by electric chair