A Louisiana man strangled his girlfriend to death during a domestic dispute. Now, he will never walk free again.
Recently, 24th Judicial District Court Judge June Berry Darensburg handed Dennis Sheppard, 60, a life term in prison without the possibility of parole for the strangulating death of his girlfriend Jyra Holmes. After 36 minutes deliberation, Sheppard was found guilty and convicted by a jury of second-degree murder.
“She had a full life ahead of her; she was very young. To take someone’s life, I would have to agree with the impact testimony: It was an evil act,” said Darensburg during the sentencing hearing, according to FOX 8.
On Nov. 2, 2020, the Jefferson Parish Police Department responded to the 1500 Block of West Chelsea Road in Harvey after reports of violent domestic dispute. Upon arrival, they found the lifeless body of Holmes in the driveway of her apartment complex with a zip-tie around her neck.
According to prosecutors, the defendant and Holmes had been in a heated dispute and altercation outside the victim’s home. Then, Sheppard used a zip tie to strangle his girlfriend in front of witnesses who heard him claim Holmes wanted him dead, and now she is dead.
Immediately, Sheppard fled the scene, but U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force found and arrested the defendant in a Motel 6 complex in Mississippi three days later.
“I hope the only mercy you get for the rest of your life is the mercy you showed my sister,” stated Holmes’ twin sister during the victim impact statement, reported Law & Crime.
Sheppard’s defense lawyer argued the defendant was not guilty of second-degree murder but manslaughter, which carries a lesser penalty of 40 years in prison. Darensburg denied the motion for a new trial and post-verdict judgment of acquittal.
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