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Dr. Joseph Sonnier was a high-profile Texan pathologist who was brutally shot and stabbed to death in his Lubbock home on July 10, 2012. His death was later ruled a conspiracy by his then-girlfriend's apparently jealous ex, Dr. Thomas Michael Dixon, who allegedly orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot to get the doctor out of his way and get back with the woman he loved.
The years that followed revealed some disturbing and shocking revelations and saw two chaotic trials until Dixon and his friend/hired hitman, David Shepard, were convicted in 2015. Shepard reportedly confessed that he was stalking Sonnier and his wife, but had no intentions of killing the pathologist. Whether he was telling the truth or not continues to remain an important question in the case.
Now, about a decade later, NBC Dateline will have Andrea Canning delve into the details of the 2012 murder case and all the chaos that followed in its upcoming episode titled Lone Star Obsession on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 9 pm ET.
The official synopsis of the upcoming episode states:
"When a doctor is found murdered, investigators are stumped as to who would want him dead. Police discover simmering jealousies and a love triangle. Andrea Canning reports Saturday, August 13 at 9/8c on NBC."
Who was behind the 2012 killing of Dr. Joseph Sonnier?
A renowned plastic surgeon from Amarillo, Texas, named Dr. Thomas Michael Dixon, was identified as the mastermind behind Joseph Sonnier's murder in 2012. Dixon was also the victim's then-girlfriend Richelle Shetina's jealous ex-boyfriend. He reportedly hired his friend David Shepard to carry out the murder, promising him three silver bars and a box of expensive Cuban cigars as payment in the murder-for-hire plot.
Joseph Sonnier was killed in his Lubbock home on July 10, 2012, after he returned from work. Police stated that he was shot five times and repeatedly stabbed about eleven times. However, a later confession by the hitman revealed that Sonnier died after five "unintentional" shots, and the stabbing occurred later when the killer panicked. Police arrested Shepard after receiving a tip from his then housemate, not long after which Dixon was arrested after the hired hitman confessed.
David Shepard's testimonies about Joseph Sonnier's murder kept changing with time
Although David Shepard's initial confession stated that Thomas Dixon was behind the murder plot and he (Shepard) acted on Dixon's wishes, Shepard later changed his words, twisting the narrative while on the witness stand during Dixon's trial in October 2014.
The hitman was a key witness in Dixon's first trial, and had already provided them with a detailed confession. He agreed to a plea bargain that called for him to confess in exchange for acquitting himself of the charge of capital murder and escaping the death sentence. However, Shepard shocked everyone by altering his account while confessing.
He maintained that he committed the murder on his own and that Dixon had no part in it at all. The defense said that Dixon never meant Sonnier to die and simply wanted to bring Sonnier's relationship with Shetina to an end. Additionally, they claimed that the silver bars Dixon gave Shepard were for a business investment they were meant to establish.
The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial, followed by the announcement of a second trial. The second trial took place in 2015 when Thomas Dixon was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without any possibility of parole.
Tune in to Saturday night's episode of NBC Dateline to learn the full story of Dr. Joseph Sonnier's 2012 murder-for-hire plot. As previously mentioned, the episode will air at 9 pm ET on August 13.
