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The shooting death of LaNell Barsock at the hands of her ex-girlfriend, La'Rene Austin, brought Palmdale to a standstill in 2010. The pair met over a post on Craigslist, and three weeks into the relationship, LaNell broke up with La'Rene.
As anger and resentment built over the failed relationship, La'Rene shot LaNell at the back of her head during a hair-weaving session at the Palmdale residence. She framed LaNell's boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, for the murder.
The Dateline NBC episode titled The Breakup showcases LaNell Barsock's case as it airs on June 13, 2024, at 10 pm 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."
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How did La'Rene Austin meet LaNell Barsock?
Dateline NBC's episode 42 of season 32 brings the story of LaNell Barsock as she was found dead in her Palmdale residence on June 16, 2010, per The Antelope Valley Times.
The two women met each other over a post on Craigslist a month earlier. The retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Joe Espino reportedly shared:
"Larene Austin was very involved in the personals section of Craigslist, the 'Women Seeking Women.' She was involved with six other women through Craigslist."
Three weeks of a whirlwind affair later, LaNell allegedly broke up with La'Rene as she intended to continue her relationship with her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, alone.
La'Rene Austin had introduced herself as LaNell's best friend to the detectives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. However, the authorities reported that they witnessed LaNell's mother, Bobbie Barsock, fail to recognize La'Rene at the Sheriff's station despite her claim to be the victim's friend since childhood.
Why did La'Rene Austin murder LaNell Barsock?
La'Rene had been in deep debt and unemployed when she was seeing LaNell. She allegedly looked forward to building a future with Barsock. Detective Espino further shared:
"Larene befriended her, they developed a romantic relationship. Larene was hoping to move in with her and be happy forever after."
The Dateline episode mentioned that La'Rene began assuming LaNell's identity in public, showcasing a worrisome trait. Austin allegedly introduced herself as a BMW-owning nurse from an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles.
According to the Oxygen report, the two women were involved s*xually but to an extent where their boyfriends had been acquainted with one another. However, when Barsock decided to end their secret relationship, she texted Austin, calling their affair off to focus on her live-in boyfriend, Louis Bonheur. After a discussion, both women agreed to continue sharing a platonic relationship.
La'Rene had given the authorities Louis Bonheur's name and had built a story to frame him in Barsock's murder when her plan to get rid of her body in the desert failed, per True Crime News.
Austin visited Barsocks' Rockie Lane residence for an alleged hair-weaving beauty session when she shot LaNell in the back of the head. La'Rene Austin shot the victim in a downward angle as the exit wound was from her nose. A pillow was also used to silence the sound of the gunshot.
The Los Angeles detectives found a spent casing of a bullet from a 9-millimeter gun near her body in the garage.
Catch the latest Dateline NBC episode The Breakup as it airs on NBC on Friday.
