Dateline NBC: Who was LaNell Barsock and how did she die?

The focus of the new Dateline episode is a nurse who was based out of Palmdale, LaNell Barsock. Barsock was found with extensive damage to the back of her head such that the authorities had assumed that she had been bludgeoned to death.

While her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, was suspected of her killing, the investigations later revealed her ex-girlfriend, La'Rene Austin, to be her killer. She was shot in the head in June 2010, per Oxygen.

The Dateline NBC episode titled The Breakup showcases LaNell Barsock's case as it airs on June 13, 2024, at 10 p.m. EST on NBC exclusively. The official synopsis of the episode reads,

"A nurse is killed; detectives think they have a suspect until new information redirects them."

---

Who was LaNell Barsock? Details explored

LaNell Crystal Barsock was born on July 27, 1980, in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, California. The 29-year-old worked as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) at the time of her murder. She met with her unfortunate death on June 16, 2010, in her home in Palmdale.

According to the retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detective, Det. Joe Espino,

"She was very successful, attractive. A licensed vocational nurse. She lived in a beautiful home, 3,700 square feet."

According to a True Crime News report, LaNell Barsock had been romantically involved with a Haitian national, Louis Bonheur. At the same time, she had kept her love life open to options as she was also allegedly involved with another man named Ike Umuna.

Ike Umuna was allegedly a Sacramento flight nurse Barsock had supposedly met on an online dating website, per Oxygen. In the meantime, Barsock and Bonheur reportedly shared a difficult relationship wherein the former felt controlled by her boyfriend.

Detective Joe Espino further shared with Dateline that,

“There was a dark side that people didn’t know about Louis and that was that he was a very jealous and controlling individual.”

However, the investigation took a dark turn and drew suspicions towards Louis Bonheur as LaNell's body was discovered by the authorities from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office on June 16, 2010, according to the Los Angeles Times.

---

How did LaNell Barsock die?

According to Oxygen, the nurse was found in her 3,400-square-foot home in Rockie Lane of Palmdale where she was shot in the back of her head. LaNell was found lying face up in a pool of blood on the floor of her garage with a black plastic bag covering her head.

The one to report the harrowing crime to the police, La’Rene Austin, had allegedly visited Barsock at her home. While she went looking for her in the house, she slipped over a liquid on the floor to find herself covered in her friend's blood. She mentioned having heard a person in the house when she discovered LaNell's body and gave the authorities Louis Bonheur's name.

Bonheur was considered the suspect but was found to have a foolproof alibi with no connection to the murder. Further investigation revealed that La'Rene Austin was the one to kill Barsock. The two had supposedly met through a Craigslist posting and had been briefly involved in a romantic relationship which LaNell had ended leaving LaRene bitter.

Austin had visited LaNell Barsock under the pretext of having their hair weaved when she shot her ex-girlfriend in the back of the head using a pillow as a silencer, per Law and Crime.

---

Catch the latest Dateline NBC episode The Breakup showcasing LaNell Barsock's murder as it airs on NBC on Friday.