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The arrest of Larene Austin in January 2012 after being flown down from Belize came after a lengthy investigation into the murder of LaNell Barsock. The nurse residing in California had been murdered by her short-time girlfriend, Austin, who was bitter over a breakup.
Larene Austin shot Barsock in the back of her head during a hair-weaving session and had intended to dump her body in the desert, per True Crime News. Failing to drag Barsock's body into the trunk of the car, she reported her murder to the Los Angeles authorities and framed her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur, for the tragedy.
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:
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"A nurse is killed; detectives think they have a suspect until new information redirects them."
How was LaNell Barsock's body found?
LaNell Barsock was found lying face up on the floor of her garage in the pool of her blood, per NBC News. The licensed vocational nurse resided in a 3,400-square-foot home in Rockie Lane, Palmdale where she lived with her long-term boyfriend, Louis Bonheur.
On June 16, 2010, Larene Austin turned up at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office covered in blood, narrating how she had visited her alleged best friend, LaNell, and slipped over her blood on the floor. Austin reportedly elaborated:
“I’m looking at the blood … and then when I looked I saw her legs.”
As the deputies turned up at the residence, they found the 29-year-old's head covered with a black plastic bag. She had suffered extensive trauma to the black of her head.
According to Oxygen, the detectives also took note of bedding covered in blood which had been shoved into the trunk of LaNell’s car and left open. There was blood splayed all over the garage floor, indicating the movement of LaNell's injured body.
What had Larene Austin planned to do with LaNell Barsock's body?
The investigations eventually took the detectives to the real suspect in the case - LaNell Barsock's ex-girlfriend, Larene Austin, whom she had met over the personal ads section on Craigslist.
Larene had reportedly envisioned a future with LaNell, which was cut short when the former wished to continue her relationship with her boyfriend, Louis Bonheur. The authorities found a motive for the murder as Larene had been unemployed and in deep debt.
Larene Austin had shot LaNell Barsock in the back of her head during the hair-weaving session with a 9mm caliber gun. Austin reportedly used a pillow to silence the sound of the gunshot and then tried to drag Barsock's body into the back of her truck. Austin had allegedly intended to dump Barsock's body in the desert.
Detective Robert Kenney elaborated on the initial motive of Larene's Plan A saying:
"She was going to take her car, take her jewelry, take what money she might have, possibly steal TV sets and make a little money."
As Austin failed at her plan, she decided to frame Louis Bonheur for LaNell's murder and turned up at the Sheriff's office with blood on her hand, buttocks, and chest. She forged a breakup letter by LaNell to Bonheur and also gave the detectives his name with his alleged history of domestic abuse, per The Antelope Valley Times.
Catch the latest episode of Dateline NBC episode The Breakup as it airs on NBC on Friday.
