LaNell Barsock, a 29-year-old nurse, was found dead in her Palmdale home in June 2010, with a plastic bag over her head and a fatal gunshot wound
PALMDALE, CALIFORNIA: LaRene Eleanor is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of the murder of LaNell Barsock. In 2015, LaRene was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. This means that she must serve at least 50 years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.
'Dateline NBC' will delve into the case of LaNell Barsock's murder, a gripping tale of betrayal and lies. LaNell, a 29-year-old nurse, was found dead in her Palmdale home in June 2010, with a plastic bag over her head and a fatal gunshot wound. Initially, suspicion fell on her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, due to his jealous and controlling behavior.
However, the investigation took an unexpected turn when LaRene Eleanor Austin, LaNell's secret lover, emerged as the true perpetrator. LaRene had attempted to mislead the police by implicating Louis, but forensic evidence and her actions ultimately led to her conviction for first-degree murder in 2015.
Who is LaRene Eleanor?
LaRene Eleanor Austin, often referred to as LaRene Eleanor is a woman from Palmdale, California, who was convicted of the murder of her former lover, LaNell Barsock. In 2010, LaRene, who was 33 at the time, met LaNell through a Craigslist personal ad.
The two women began a romantic relationship, but LaNell decided to end it after about a month, choosing to prioritize her relationship with her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur. LaRene did not handle the breakup well.
On June 16, 2010, she went to LaNell's house and shot her in the head. Following the murder, LaRene attempted to mislead the police by falsely accusing Louis Bonheur, LaNell's boyfriend, of being the real killer. Despite her initial attempts to deceive the authorities, forensic evidence and inconsistencies in her story eventually led to LaRene's arrest and subsequent conviction.
LaRene fled the country but was captured in Belize in 2012 and extradited to the United States. In 2015, she was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
How long was LaRene Eleanor dating LaNell Barsock?
LaRene Eleanor Austin and LaNell Barsock dated for about a month after meeting through a Craigslist personal ad in May 2010. They quickly entered into a romantic relationship during this time.
However, by June 2010, LaNell decided to end the relationship because she wanted to prioritize her relationship with her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur. Despite the brief duration of their romance, LaRene was deeply impacted by LaNell's decision to break up, which ultimately led to tragic events.
LaRene Eleanor shot LaNell Barsock in the head
LaRene Eleanor killed LaNell Barsock by shooting her in the head. On June 16, 2010, LaRene went to LaNell's house in Palmdale, California, where she fatally shot LaNell in the back of the head.
After committing the murder, LaRene tried to mislead the authorities by covering LaNell's head with a black plastic bag, indicating a personal connection to the victim. She then falsely claimed that LaNell's boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, was the killer.
LaRene then drove to the Palmdale sheriff's station, covered in blood, and reported the crime, falsely accusing Bonheur of the murder. However, the investigation eventually revealed that LaRene was the real killer, driven by jealousy and anger after LaNell ended their short-lived romantic relationship.
Police investigate Louis Bonheur after LaNell Barsock’s murder
After LaNell Barsock's murder, LaRene Eleanor Austin cleverly misled the police into suspecting LaNell's boyfriend, Louis Bonheur. Covered in blood, LaRene rushed to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station in Palmdale and reported finding LaNell dead in her garage.
She claimed she slipped on blood and discovered LaNell's body with a black plastic bag over her head, implying that the killer had a personal connection with the victim.
LaRene further incriminated Louis by stating she heard someone in the house who resembled him. She fabricated a misleading crime scene by leaving behind bloody items and footprints, reinforcing her false narrative.
Initially, her dramatic and detailed account, coupled with her emotional manipulation, persuaded the police to concentrate their investigation on Louis. However, inconsistencies in her story and physical evidence eventually revealed LaRene as the true killer.
LaRene Eleanor gets caught after DNA sampling
Through a thorough investigation that uncovered inconsistencies in her story, the police identified LaRene Eleanor Austin as the killer of LaNell Barsock. Initially, LaRene attempted to divert attention by implicating LaNell's boyfriend, Louis Bonheur and falsely claimed to have discovered LaNell dead. However, the police noticed discrepancies in her account and discovered that she had known LaNell for only a few weeks, not ten years as she had claimed.
Forensic analysis revealed that LaRene owned a gun matching the one used in the murder and linked her to the crime scene through a bloody footprint and fingerprint evidence. Additionally, investigators found a forged break-up letter purportedly from LaNell to Louis, which was determined to be LaRene’s attempt to mislead the investigation.
These clues, combined with LaRene’s implausible alibi of spending hours alone in a park, led detectives to shift their focus onto her as the prime suspect. Realizing that LaRene had stronger feelings for LaNell than LaNell reciprocated after she fled the country, the police tracked her down in Belize. Ultimately, these findings helped piece together the true incident, identifying LaRene Eleanor as the murderer.
When was LaRene Eleanor convicted?
LaRene Eleanor Austin was convicted on August 13, 2015, for the first-degree murder of LaNell Barsock. This conviction signifies that the jury concluded LaRene had planned and intentionally carried out the murder of LaNell.
The evidence presented in court, including the forensic analysis linking her to the crime scene, the inconsistencies in her statements, and her attempt to mislead the police by implicating LaNell's boyfriend, led to her conviction. She was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
