
In June of 2010, a 29-year-old nurse was found shot to death in her California home with a note that seemed to point to a particular person embedded in her life. But as detectives unraveled the case further, the twisted truth came to the surface in shocking fashion: an affair, an obsession, and an unsuspecting killer hiding in plain sight. This is the murder of LaNell Barsock.
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Heath
Foreign what is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host Heath.
Daphne
And I'm your host Daphne and you're.
Heath
Listening to Going West.
Daphne
Hello everybody. Hope you're doing well today. Thank you so much for tuning into Going West. Big shout out to Anna for recommending today's case. I feel like I've been saying this so much lately, but the twist in this case genuinely shocked me.
Heath
I almost did not want to give anything away with this case because it really is an absolute shock and such a devastating story as well.
Daphne
No, it truly is. We are going to talk about a very hard working woman today and I don't want to say anything else because I will give it away. So. But before we dive in, I just want to mention we did tease this already on Patreon and our bonus series on Apple as well. If you want to be the first to hear about some very exciting news that Heath and I are going to release in the middle of June, join our bonus series. Also you'll get over 130 bonus episodes of fascinating true crime stories you haven't heard from us before.
Heath
Yes, the patrons and the Apple subscribers, they're going to get this news first. But if you want to get it as well, then just go subscribe. It's you can either do $5 or $10. It really helps out our show. And like Daphne said, you get a ton ton of bonus content of Going west that you wouldn't regularly get.
Daphne
Yeah, you guys are going to be excited, we hope and we foresee when we drop this news. It's something Heath and I have never done before. So stay tuned and without further ado, let's just dive into today's case.
Heath
All right guys, this is episode 509 of Going West. So let's get into it.
Daphne
Sam In June of 2010, a 29 year old nurse was found shot to death in her California home with a note that seemed to point to a particular person embedded in her life. But as detectives unraveled the case further, the twisted truth came to the surface in shocking fashion. An affair, an obsession, and an unsuspecting killer hiding in plain sight. This is the murder of Lenell Barsoc. Foreign was born on July 27, 1980 in Englewood, California, which is just south of downtown LA, where LAX is actually. And according to her family, for her whole life she was known for putting smiles on the faces of others and she had a real knack for making everybody feel at home and just feel comfortable. Her friends described her as warm, generous and giving, qualities which are precisely what made Linnell interested in becoming a nurse. So following her graduation from high school, Lynelle trained to become a licensed vocational nurse. But after a few years, she decided to return to school and completed her degree as a registered nurse. And it was there she met a young man named Louis Bonheur, who is taking English classes at the same school. Now Lewis had just moved to California in 2005, so one year prior as a refugee from Haiti. And in typical Linnell fashion, she struck up a casual conversation with him as he was waiting for the bus and then wound up offering him a ride home after they had such a nice conversation and things really just flourished from there. So they started dating and eventually moved in together, both in their 20s. Lewis got a job working for a maintenance center in Hawthorne, California, which by the way, is just south of Englewood. And Lynell graduated nursing school and started working at a medical center in la. So she was busting her ass in school trying to get to the career that she wanted to. And four years later, in 2009, after saving for many years and maintaining a happy relationship together, Linnell and Lewis bought a house on a roomy property together in Palmdale, which is about 60 miles or around 100 kilometers north of Central Los Angeles and just north of the Angeles National Forest. And this is where Southern California starts to enter the desert. So Palmdale is kind of more deserty vibes, but definitely more affordable than Los Angeles proper. So, you know, they were really happy with this development and just the opportunity to build their dream house together and this life together. So while they tackled projects around the place, they also looked forward to eventually getting married and having kids. You know, they weren't engaged yet, but they were very much on that kind of trajectory.
Heath
Yeah, they were kind of talking about it.
Daphne
However, in the short term, Lanell wanted to convert this spacious house, which was about 3, 500 square feet, into a living care facility for elderly patients so that she could make some money back and continued to work a career that she loved.
Heath
But despite their excitement for the future, Linnell and Lewis couldn't ignore that their relationship had been feeling kind of strained ever since they moved in together. After four years of dating, Lynell was just kind of getting tired of being the more financially responsible partner as well as the more motivated professional. Like, she just kind of wished that Lewis would match her energy. She complained that he lacked direction in his career and that he was too comfortable settling for a job that had very little upward mobility and very few responsibilities.
Daphne
Makes sense. She was super motivated, she was really hard working, and even though she likes being with Lewis for other reasons, she's kind of like, man, I wish he would pick it up on this side of things.
Heath
Yeah, just kind of meet her in the middle. Well, they even talked about breaking up, and she confided in friends that she was no longer feeling romantic or sexual interest in Lewis. So it was tough because on one hand, they had this kind of good thing going and they were getting closer to the life that they wanted. But it also felt one sided in a lot of ways for Lynelle. Like she was just pulling all the weight. And Lewis could see this. He could feel her slipping away from him. So instead of shaping up and just trying to become a better partner for Lynell, he actually started to act possessive and jealous and began exhibiting traits of controlling behavior that he claimed was otherwise totally outside of his nature. This included taking Lynell's phone and looking through her text messages, calling numbers that he didn't recognize. And even responding to people from her phone as if he was Lynell. He would also occasionally call the clinic where she worked to make sure that she really was there and was even known to swing by her office and stake it out so that he could watch her come and go throughout the day. But then things escalated. So In April of 2010, police were called to their home after reports of a domestic disturbance, but the police were dismissed because the couple hadn't gotten into a physical fight with each other. It was just kinda more so like a verbal altercation. But another time, Lynell's mom, Bobby, remembers Linnell calling her in tears after Lewis actually chased her daughter off the road in his truck and had gotten so close to Lynell's car that he actually broke its window. And that all happened after Lynell told him that she was leaving him. So he chased her down. But no charges were filed regarding this incident, and Lewis even denies that this happened at all. But, I mean, I don't really know why Lynell would, like, call her mom crying if this wasn't true. So it's possible that it did happen and she just didn't report it to the police.
Daphne
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised because it does seem like in some way she's making excus him. Of course she. She loves him. They've been together for years. They own a home together now. They're very intertwined in each other's lives. But she's also telling friends that she's not romantically or sexually interested in him, and he doesn't have traits in a partner that she really wants. So it does feel like she's kind of caught in being comfortable and being in a relationship that she knows and then leaving for something that she feels like she deserves. So I'm not really surprised that she wouldn't report that. Yeah, you know, it's kind of like, again, because a lot of people don't do that. They feel like that's a really serious thing to do. Right. Well, obviously Lewis acting this way was not helping his case at all, because now not only was he unmotivated and unsupportive, but he was aggressive and, like Heath is saying, possessive. So Linnell continued to float away from him. Thus, she started looking elsewhere to get her emotional needs met by turning to fling.com, which markets itself as, quote, the ultimate dating playground for the curious and bold. I was wondering if this was like a kink website, but.
Heath
Well, I was wondering that too, just because they say for the curious and bold.
Daphne
No, it's literally just a dating website.
Heath
Like, it's not. It's not bold to go out and try to find a partner, you know?
Daphne
No, it's weird tagline. Yeah, this is just like a dating website. And it was through fling.com that Linnell eventually connected with a man named Ike, whose charm and apparent emotional availability were a stark contrast to the coldness that she was feeling with Lewis. Now, they met in February of 2010, so four months before she was murdered. Ike, who worked as a flight nurse in Sacramento, California. So that means that somebody who gives medical aid on Emerg air transports seemed to offer her this stability and romance that she was missing from Lewis and more of the lifestyle that she craved. And being in Sacramento, he was about a five hour drive north of her, so something that she felt like she could manage for the time. I feel like anybody who lives in California knows that's not that far. It's still in the same state.
Heath
It feels. It feels like it would be far, but it's not in. It's not too out of reach.
Daphne
Yeah. And actually it was Ike who placed that domestic disturbance call to 911 from Sacramento after hearing Lewis scream at her in the background of their phone call. So when that happened, she was literally on the phone with Ike.
Heath
That's kind of crazy, to be honest.
Daphne
It's pretty messy. Well, just three days before Linnell was murdered, Lewis accused her of cheating on him and revealed that he had discovered that secret phone that Ike had got her, which makes things even more messy. So she vowed to Lewis. You know, she's admitting, yes, you're right, you've caught me. But she's saying that she's going to end her relationship with Ike so that she can remain with Lewis. So she's not taking the opportunity to say, yeah, I have been cheating and I'm going to leave you for Ike. She's saying, yup, you're right, but I want to be with you.
Heath
Yeah.
Daphne
So that's kind of interesting. But Ike was so concerned over her, well, being still that he actually reached out to her mom, Bobby, and begged her to keep vigilant watch over her daughter to keep her safe. Texting Bobby that he cared about her well being, quote, even if she does not want to be with me. On the day of her murder, Wednesday, June 16, 2010, Lynell had plans with a friend named Lorraine Austin, who was coming over to Linnell and Lewis's house to do Linnell's hair. And just a little backstory on their Friendship. So according to Lorraine, she and Lynell were both born and raised in South Los Angeles and had been friends since high school, so for about 10 years by that point. And they both lived in the Palmdale area now at this point in the story. So she would stop by their home occasionally, you know, sometimes several times per week to hang out, help Lynell with her hair, like they were good pals.
Heath
Well, that fateful Wednesday, Lorraine arrived at Lynell's suburban home on Rocky Lane in Palmdale at around 10am to get started on her hair. Lynell confided in her friend that she couldn't find the cell phone that Ike had gotten for her, but unbeknownst to her, Lewis had taken it. When Lewis found it, she had told Lewis that it was no longer in use, that it was just a burner phone that now had no minutes left on it. So just remember that. And then Louis left for the day and headed towards Los Angeles, where he was actually meeting with Lorraine's boyfriend, who worked in an auto body shop for some help fixing up his truck.
Daphne
So the boyfriends are together and the girlfriends are together.
Heath
Exactly. But when Lewis had charged the phone to continue snooping, he found that it had actually recently had minutes and added to it.
Daphne
Which means that she's still trying to talk to Ike.
Heath
Exactly. So this whole facade of like, oh, yeah, there's no minutes left on this was not true. So, upset by this, he turned the car around and headed back to the house to confront Lynell about her intentions with Ike. By Lorraine's account, Lewis burst in angrily wielding the phone, which Lynelle then snatched away from him. And just wanting to keep the fight at bay, Lynell left the house with her friend Lorraine, and the two young women headed to a nearby beauty supply store to pick up a few more things that Lorraine would need in order to do her friend's hair. But Lewis followed them to the store and confronted Lynell in the parking lot, wanting to put an end to the fight once and for all. Lanell gave in and she handed the phone back to him, which kind of seemed to satisfy him enough to leave them alone. Lynell and Lorraine then picked up a pizza, went through a drive through for drinks, and then headed home to finish up Linnell's hair. But with Lewis at the house, Lorraine later claimed that the energy in the house remained contentious, so much so that she was growing uncomfortable just being there.
Daphne
Makes sense. Nobody likes to be around their fighting couple friends.
Heath
Yeah, it gets really awkward sometimes.
Daphne
So by around 1:30pm they were still fighting and Lorraine decided that she needed to give some or needed to give them some space. She's saying why the hell am I here watching this unfold?
Heath
Yeah, I can be somewhere else.
Daphne
Yeah so she later said, quote I left so they could talk I told her, I said look y' all have some issues and y' all need to talk and I don't want to be here. So she walked to a park near the house staying there for a few hours just hanging out and kind of waiting and by the way, that park, Dominic Massori park was 1.3 miles or 2 kilometers away from Lanell and Lewis's house so definitely a little bit of a walk Now Lorraine waited there for about five hours she said from around 1:25pm to 6:30pm in the mild midday California heat which hovered around 75 degrees for the entirety of the day so pretty warm day but also sounds like a really nice day to just like sit around a park.
Heath
Yeah, true, but relax but that is quite a long time to be at a park Five hours.
Daphne
No, it definitely is and to explain this, she said that to pass the time she was watching children play and just being in the piece of the park especially after such a stressful day she was just hanging out so when she returned to her friend's house around 6:30pm she walked into a scene of sheer horror Entering through the dimly lit garage she hardly noticed the blood spatter on the floor until she slipped and felt fell in it A short while later she burst into the Palmdale police station covered in her friend's blood and breathlessly she told police that she had gone back to her friend's house and attempted to go in through the garage but it had been dark and she slipped on something viscous so confused, she told police quote I'm looking at the blood and then when I looked I saw her legs and then I walked around the corner she had a bag over her head now on the floor of the garage she saw Lanell's bloodied body lying lifeless next to her car so completely horrified Lorraine stepped into the house and said that she heard a noise from upstairs and then she locked eyes with Lewis descending the stairs towards her so completely panicking, you know the last thing that she saw was was Lynell and Louis in a fight Now Lynell is dead and Louis is coming for her so she's freaking out, she can't find her phone so Lorraine ran to her own car and raced to the nearest police station to report that her friend had been murdered while she was driving there. She said that Lewis was chasing behind her in his truck, but that he had turned around after realizing that she was heading towards the police station.
Heath
So when detectives reported to and then surveyed the house, they found no sign of Lewis, who seemed to have suspiciously fled. But inside the living room, they noticed the outline of an area rug imprinted into the carpet, which seemed to have been moved. Multiple bloody towels were discarded haphazardly in front of the washing machine. And the cement floor of the garage was lined with even more smeared blood, the pattern of which gave the impression that someone had attempted to wipe up the blood after it was spilled. On the floor of the garage were more bloody towels, as well as plastic sheeting from home improvement projects, which Lorraine had slipped on. Now, Lanell's BMW was still parked inside the garage with its trunk popped open. And in the trunk were trash bags stuffed with more bloody items, including sheets and blankets from Linnell and Lewis bed.
Daphne
Blood and bloodied items all over the place.
Heath
Yes, just everywhere. The spare tire had been positioned beneath the open trunk, and detectives kind of posited that it was originally being used as sort of a step stool to get Lynell's body into the back of the car. But whomever had been doing so had just given up on the attempt to conceal her body in the car and left her recumbent on the side of her vehicle instead. So they were just like, I'm just going to leave her on the floor right next to the car. And this is where 29 year old Lanell was found, lying parallel with her BMW, her feet positioned towards the front of the vehicle with her head positioned towards the trunk. And wrapped around her head was a black plastic trash bag. So, early the following morning, while the crime scene was still being processed, Investigators spoke extensively with Lorraine, who told them all about the couple's problems. I mean, obviously, you know, they're best friends, so of course they're gonna talk about Lynelle and Lewis's relationship. So she's just relaying this to police that, hey, I saw that they were having problems before she was murdered.
Daphne
Yeah. And in fact, here's what happened today with their fighting.
Heath
Yeah, exactly. Well, she was asked to take a polygraph test, and she did agree to do this, but it never ended up happening. But detectives were mostly eager to speak with both men in Lanell's life. Lewis and her new boyfriend, Ike.
Daphne
Yeah, especially because Ike was brought up that very day, and she seemed to still want to be pursuing that relationship. With Ike, police are like, something has to give in this direction.
Heath
Yeah, they're gonna figure it out one way or the other.
Daphne
So when they connected with Ike, law enforcement learned that he had expressed genuine care over Lynell's well being prior to her murder, and that he was devastated to hear the news of her mysterious passing. He also, by the way, had an ironclad alibi for the night that she had been killed. He was attending a job interview in Sacramento, so five and a half hours northwest of Palmdale at that very time. So it would have been impossible for him to personally, at the very least, commit the murder. Now, of course, heavily suspecting Lewis's involvement, law enforcement sought to speak with him next. And though they initially assumed that he had fled from the scene and could be anywhere, they found that he had actually stayed with Linnell's mom, Bobby, in her Englewood home on the night of the murder.
Heath
So that's obviously very, very strange.
Daphne
Yeah, he didn't come home, and now he's at her mom's house. And he still apparently doesn't know that she was killed. So Lewis was brought in early the next day, before he was even officially still informed about the murder, for which he was being considered a suspect. In his interrogation, he said that he left the house to get his car fixed at 12.30pm but when pressed, he admitted that he had returned to the house to confront Linnell, and that he had then followed them to the beauty supply store and then followed them back home, which Lorraine, as we remember, had also told the police. But he maintained that he then left the women alone after this, driving to Lorraine's boyfriend's auto repair shop. In the Florence Graham neighborhood of south Los Angeles, which is about 70 miles, or 112 kilometers south of Lanell and Lewis's home. So he was in a totally different area. The two had planned on picking up parts from a few different auto parts stores and then working on Lewis's truck. So he was at least an hour and a half away. And Lewis was even able to offer receipts for these trips. But detectives wanted to verify his presence through security camera footage in these two stores to make sure that he wasn't lying. Because they're like, well, what if you got the receipts from your friend?
Heath
What if their receipt was from. Well, I guess it would probably have the time stamp on it.
Daphne
Yeah, I would.
Heath
I was gonna say maybe it was from a different day, but, yeah, they would be able to.
Daphne
But, yeah, they're like, did he fake this? You know, we gotta make sure that.
Heath
He was really there due diligence.
Daphne
And guess what? Lewis could clearly be seen on the footage in both stores. At 2:50pm he was spotted at a locally owned auto parts store. And then just after 4:30pm So a little over an hour and a half later he was seen at an Autozone around 5, which is a store by the way. Autozone is like a car parts store. Well around 5:30pm he then headed back to the same auto parts store that he had visited earlier in the afternoon. Like I said, at 2:50pm so Lewis was close by where he worked in Hawthorne. So rather than driving home to Palmdale and then having to return in the morning, he he opted to stay the night with Lanell's mom Bobby and headed to her house that evening to avoid a long commute. He arrived there between 6 and 6:15pm on June 16. So the evening that Lynell was killed. Meaning Lorraine's story about Louis being in his Palmdale home just after 6pm chasing her around the house could not be true.
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Heath
So now, without a double doubt, we know that Lewis could not have personally been at the house when Lorraine claims that he would have been. But Lanell's mom, Bobby had noticed something kind of suspicious while he was there. Lewis had been looking at airline tickets to Miami and had also been shifting money around between bank accounts, which kind of piqued detective suspicions because it seemed as if he was kind of paving the way for an escape. They wondered if perhaps he was booking a connecting flight from Miami to his native Haiti to flee before he was pinned for Lynell's murder. When detectives asked him about this, Lewis maintained that he was not attempting to leave and assured detectives that he and Lynell were happy together and that he didn't want to leave her. But here's the thing, guys. Detectives noticed a scratch across his cheek and mused that he may have been hit by Lanell during a confrontation that ended in her death. When asked about the origin of the scratch, Lewis readily admitted that the scratch had come from Lanelle, but said that it was from a simple confrontation and not from him inflicting any sort of violence against her. While also among the evidence removed from their home was an incriminating breakup note which read, dear Louis, I'm leaving you for ikea. He makes more money so you can do whatever you want to do with the house. I am moving out of state with Ike so that why I gave you that phone. We're getting married so just leave me alone. You can have everything in the house. I've been Sleeping with him for four months now. And he's the one that pay my car note, so good luck in life. Goodbye, Lanell. And then scratched out was a footnote that said, ps, I'm taking one of the tv. Now, obviously, the typos featured in the note would be strange ones for a registered nurse to make. And the syntax didn't seem to be in her cadence, which was noted by police. And when confronted with this note, Louis claimed that he didn't know what they were talking about and that he hadn't even seen it.
Daphne
I mean, Louis is just, like, all kinds of confused right now. You know, he still, by the way, at this point, doesn't even know that Linnell is dead yet. So he's at the police station. He doesn't know why, and. Or allegedly, he doesn't know why. Right. And now they're saying, oh, yeah, we found this breakup note. So you guys broke up, she broke up with you. And he's like, what note?
Heath
Yeah, you should have seen this note that she wrote about, you know, I'm taking one tv.
Daphne
Yeah.
Heath
Or one of the tv.
Daphne
One of the tv. So, yeah, it's like Lewis apparently doesn't know what's going on. And the officers are doing this on purpose. I think we said this in the last episode, I think. Oh, yeah. On Carol Kennedy, we were saying how police are, like, slowly releasing the information, gradually releasing it to see how much the other person knows.
Heath
Yeah, they just want to kind of test the waters here.
Daphne
Exactly. So that's what they're doing here. They're trying to see if Lewis knows that she's dead, knows anything about what happened to her. So obviously confused. You know, this is his girlfriend, serious girlfriend of many years. He's asking, okay, so where is Linnell? What is going on? And when they told him that she had succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head, he broke down in immediate sobs. And now they got to figure out if these are real tears or if they're crocodile tears through Wales. He said to them, that's not me. And why would they do that to her? And who would do that to her? So kind of interesting that he says, why would they do that to her?
Heath
Yeah. Like, it's. It's almost implying that there's more than one person responsible for this attack.
Daphne
Yeah. And, like, maybe at first he knows who it could be, but then he's saying, who would do that to her? And it's kind of them playing the part of, well, I don't know who would do that to her. Why would somebody kill her? So he implored them through tears, to pursue and punish the guilty party. But despite his grief, police seemed certain enough about his involvement that they were ready to make an arrest. And Lewis, who was about 30 years old at this time, was detained for the murder of his girlfriend. As Lewis waited in custody, the crime scene left behind inside the house was analyzed very carefully for evidence that would support their conclusion. But the scene of the crime was a sloppy one. Heath did a great job at telling us how messy it really was, how much blood there was, how much random strewn around. There was.
Heath
Yeah, there was just, like, bloody towels laying in front of the washer. There's towels all over the house.
Daphne
And like you said, somebody clearly tried to put her body in the back of the car, and then they literally gave up and just dropped her next to the car and then left. So, yeah, it's like super messy scene, you know, almost like the killer had been apprehended halfway through cleaning up, or like they had just given up halfway through cleaning up and just fled.
Heath
Yeah, they probably just got scared and they're like, I got to get the hell out of here.
Daphne
Yeah, like, wait, this is a way bigger job than I thought. Which is something I love about Psycho, the movie, is that they really. Alfred Hitchcock, really made you realize how hard it is to clean up a crime scene and how, you know, it's a job.
Heath
Absolutely. It would be very, very strenuous. And you'd probably have to. In order to leave nothing behind, you'd have to use bleach and all sorts of shit. Rubber gloves.
Daphne
And they can still find that. So just don't murder.
Heath
Don't murder. Don't be a piece of shit and murder.
Daphne
No, really, don't do it, guys. So in the open trunk of Linnell's car, there was a pillow that had this small hole burned through it, through the entire pillow.
Heath
And I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure a lot of you guys probably know or kind of understand what that pill for, but if you don't, we're going to explain that right now.
Daphne
Well, police did, too. They. They had a hunch right when they saw it, but then they had an even bigger hunch when they found traces of gunpowder on it, which led them to believe that whoever shot her had actually pressed the pillow between the gun and her head, hoping to silence the sound of the gun going off, which.
Heath
A lot of people have seen that they use a lot in movies. You know, you put a pillow over somebody's face. Yeah, they Do? Yeah, absolutely. They put a. What are you laughing at me for? They put a pillow over somebody's face, and then they. It almost acts like a silencer because it just, you know, it mellows the sound, I guess.
Daphne
Well, it's interesting that the person would have that knowledge to say, I'm going to try to silence this in the first place.
Heath
Yeah.
Daphne
And then use a pillow.
Heath
Well, clearly that just shows that this was kind of premeditated. It wasn't just like a spur of the moment. Oh, I had to pull out my gun and shoot you, because we're in an altercation.
Daphne
It's like he did the passion.
Heath
Yeah. I'm setting you up to murder you.
Daphne
Yes, so true. Very good insight. So, just as detectives suspected, the area rug had been removed. Removed from the carpeted living room and shoved haphazardly into the backseat of Linnell's unlocked car, which was still in the garage again, and next to her body. And on the underside of the rug was a bloody footprint. And discarded on the floor of the garage were two latex gloves with blood on them, as well as a plastic pitcher with a bloody fingerprint on it. So, like you're saying, Heath, it's almost like they were trying to set this up in a certain way, but it's like you leave the gloves behind, which are obviously gonna have your DNA inside of it.
Heath
Yeah. You did a really shitty job here.
Daphne
And then you touch something with blood on your hands.
Heath
Well, a luminal test of the floors in the home revealed a trail of bloody footprints leading away from where the area rug had been in the living room. So detectives believe that the murder had taken place inside the living room atop the area rug, as they had originally suspected. Alongside the footprints was a consistent stream of spilled blood moving from the living room, through the kitchen and into the garage, making it seem like Lynelle's body had been dragged there after she was murdered. Jeez. Though initially thought to be a victim of blunt force trauma due to all of this blood, a shell casing was found on the floor of the living room. So obviously now they know that it was from a gun, which of course.
Daphne
They knew when they found the frickin gunpowder in the hole in the pillow. But everything is. Is matching up.
Heath
Yeah, they had to obviously confirm all of this. Well, strangely, Lewis didn't even own a gun, and the timeline that Lewis gave to detectives all but ruled him out anyway, so they wondered if he had at least orchestrated the murder with the help of somebody else. So Louis was held in jail for weeks while police attempted to confirm or deny his presence at the scene of the murder. But with the eventual confirmation of his phone records, it became increasingly obvious that Lewis was not home at the time that Lynell would have been killed. Because his cell phone records were consistent with the timing that he gave police, placing him farther and farther away from Palmdale as the afternoon of the murder wore on. On the afternoon of her murder, Lynell actually called Lewis on his cell phone from their home landline at 2:30pm and within 20 minutes of answering this phone call, he was at the auto parts store and then made his two additional appearances on security camera footage at other auto parts stores in that neighborhood. According to Bobby, he arrived at her home in Englewood between 6 and 6:15pm as we mentioned before. So this wouldn't have left him enough time to sneak all the way back out to Palmdale, commit his girlfriend's murder, and. And then report back to the area to stop in the store again. At 4pm that day, Bobby placed a call to her daughter, which she did not answer. So police believe that her murder took place between 2:30pm when she spoke to Lewis on the phone, and 4pm when that call was placed. So this meant that Lewis could not have committed this murder, and he was officially cleared of suspicion and released from confinement.
Daphne
But as we know, Lorraine had said that she was gone from, like, what'd she say, 12:30 to 66 or 6 ish. 6:30.
Heath
Exactly.
Daphne
So she said that she was out the whole day. So then you're like, okay, well then who was there?
Heath
Yeah, exactly. And this doesn't really, you know, it kind of. It's also kind of confusing because Lorraine is saying, hey, I locked eyes with Lewis and he chased me to the police station. And then when I got close, he turned around and headed back. So all of this is kind of like making you suspicious.
Daphne
Shit's not adding up.
Heath
And of course, officers did keep tabs on Lewis in case something had snuck by them, and he did, at the very least, orchestrate this killing. So police placed a tracker on his car, but detectives admitted that he hadn't been up to anything suspicious following his release. So it's like they're tracking him for days and they're realizing that he's not doing anything weird.
Daphne
He's out trying to flee to Miami. He's now trying to flee Miami. Miami? Yeah, he's not trying to flee to Miami or Haiti or anywhere else. He's just staying put.
Heath
Yeah, he's just going about his normal.
Daphne
Day well, to the frustration of Lynell's friends and family, the investigation seemed to take a step back. I mean, everything was originally pointing to one person at first, and now it's clear that it wasn't him. So police were just totally dumbfounded. And when, scrambling to appoint a new suspect, detectives recalled a strange detail about the night that Lynell was killed. The morning after Lynelle's murder, her mother, Bobby, was headed into the Palmdale Sheriff's station for questioning. As Lorraine was heading out and spotting her in the hallway, Lorraine warmly embraced Bobby and offered her condolences. You know, she knows who Bobby is. She's saying, I'm so sorry about having your daughter. She had been one of the last people to see her daughter. So Bobby thanked her. But puzzled, she later asked detectives who this woman was.
Heath
Oh, man, this is getting crazy.
Daphne
And when they told her that she had been Lynell's best friend for a decade, Bobby informed them that she had never met or even seen that woman in her entire life. And she said, that's not my daughter's best friend. I don't even know who that is.
Heath
Yeah, it's like. It's like Lorraine is painting this picture of, hey, I knew I knew Linnell for so long. Then how do you. Then how would you know Bobby, not recognize you in any sort of way?
Daphne
But that's what's kind of weird, is, like, she recognizes Bobby, and Bobby's like, who the hell are you? Yeah, I'm the owner of this house.
Heath
What? What are you talking about?
Daphne
We haven't seen that. Tick tock.
Heath
No, I just think we have two completely different algorithms.
Daphne
I think we do, too. I think somebody. Somebody out there know. So additionally, detectives had noticed that when Lorraine was searched up, you know, they. They looked her up when she first arrived at the sheriff's station, when they originally questioned her. Of course, they look into everybody's background. Right. But they also noticed that when she got there, she was still covered in her friend's blood, which was kind of weird because she wasn't there. So they're like, did she touch her body to see if she was still alive? That would make sense, right?
Heath
Sure.
Daphne
But also, she had two bullets in her purse. And when they ran that background check, it didn't appear that she owned a gun. So they don't know where these came from. So now they're kind of looking back on this. They're remembering what Bobby had said. They're thinking about the two bullets in her purse, so they're really acting on this hunch. And they ran a background check again on Lorraine. And due to the unique spelling of Lorraine's name. So you might be thinking it's l o, r, a, I, n, e. Yeah, but. Or 2R is 1R.
Heath
Maybe 2. I don't know.
Daphne
You can picture it. But, you know, that's how a lot of people spell it. She didn't spell it like that. She spelled it kind of like Linnell spelled her name. Yeah, it's l, A, apostrophe R, E, n, e. So it may have actually been incorrectly entered the first time they looked her up.
Heath
Of course, they're like, hey, your name's Lorraine. All right, cool. We're going to put your name in the system. But they didn't know that it was still spelled the way it was spelled. So obviously that was just a, you know, kind of like a. Error.
Daphne
Yes. Another. It's really actually like they're looking her up for the first time because when they put her name in correctly, they found out that she owned the exact type of gun that killed her friend. A Smith and Wesson pistol with nine millimeter bullets, which she had purchased on February 18, 2010, just four months before Lanell's murder.
Heath
So obviously you guys are kind of wondering what the hell is going on here.
Daphne
Well, finally, four months after Lynell's murder, the truth came spilling out through a messy trail of evidence that Lorraine left behind.
Heath
I think we're gonna have to say the word messy A few more times in this episode, because truly it was. It was. It just was.
Daphne
This whole fucking story is a mess. So a search of her online activity revealed that she and Lynelle had not, in fact, known each other for 10 plus years, nor had they met in high school. And they certainly were not best friends. The women had actually met only one month prior on craigslist in the women seeking women section After Lorraine posted an ad about desiring to have a sexual relationship with a woman. So it's. It's just kind of crazy that she says they were best friends for 10 plus years and they went to school together. They're like strangers. When you know someone for a month, you don't know them at all.
Heath
Yeah. Come to find out that they really hardly knew each other.
Daphne
Now, it's unclear if her own boyfriend had known about this, But Lewis said that he certainly had not. He did not know that his girlfriend Lynelle was seeing another woman and another person outside of himself.
Heath
And, ike, this is kind of a crazy scenario, though, because we've obviously Got Lynell and Lorraine, and they're, you know, obviously kind of together, sort of. And then we've got Lewis and Lorraine's boyfriend.
Daphne
Yeah.
Heath
And neither one of these guys know that their girlfriends are potentially into women.
Daphne
Yeah. Which makes it messier because they're hanging out together in front of their boyfriends, and neither of them know. Or at least, again, I don't know about Lorraine's boyfriend, but at least Lewis didn't know that they were having a sexual relationship.
Heath
Yeah. The guys are just like, oh, well, the girls are hanging out today, you know.
Daphne
Yeah. But the fact was, Linnell and Lorraine had started casually dating and sleeping together. They were not just friends. So Linnell, again, she was not only talking to Ike during this part of her relationship with Lewis, but she was physically seeing someone else locally, this woman, which is someone she also seemed to consider a friend. You know, enough to do her hair and hang out with her in person, even again, hanging out with her and her boyfriend. So, you know, five days before her murder, actually, Lynelle cut off her romantic and sexual relationship with Lorraine to focus on Lewis, which is what she said she did with Ike. So suddenly there is somebody else in the mix who has a motive.
Heath
Well, let's talk about this relationship severing. So on June 11, 2010, like Daphne's saying, five days before Linnell's murder, she texted Lorraine, I'm getting quite serious with my boyfriend, and I don't want anything sexual with you anymore. I enjoy your friendship and would like to keep it that way. Well, to this, Lorraine responded, I understand. I just seeking friendship as well. I think you're a cool person to hang out with, and if you can't tell, this text bore eerie similarities to the note riddled with grammatical errors that had been left behind for Lewis, which had supposedly been written by Linnell. So detectives came to find that Lorraine had been unemployed for long stretches of time on and off, and still lived at home with her mom. And feeling restless and unhappy in her own life, she sought out somebody else's. According to Jason Quirino with the Los Angeles County District attorney's office, he said she absolutely saw Lynelle Barsoc as someone who could take her out of that and give her a better life and was infatuated with that and really, really wanted that. And when it was taken away from her very quickly, in an instant, she ultimately lashed out and decided to kill Lynell as punishment for it. So it kinda seems like Lorraine became so fixated on Lynnell that she actually began impersonating Lynnell online because around the same time that she met Lynell, Lorraine also met and dated two other women who she introduced herself to as Krystal, which is Lanelle's middle name. She also told these women that she drove a blue BMW, which is what Lanelle drove. So that's obviously weird. And Lorraine was in communication with three more women on Craigslist as well and was offering up similar stories. So now, at the center of the investigation, Lorraine's DNA was tested against the evidence found at the crime scene. And it was her DNA on the black latex gloves, her fingerprint found on the plastic picture, and her footprint on that rug. And her script even matched the handwriting of the note left behind and not that of Lanell's. So police believe that while standing behind Lynell and styling her hair, Lorraine grabbed a throw pillow, placed it between Lynell's head and her gun, and shot into it to muffle the sound, which is.
Daphne
Just so messed up. And it's also terrifying because of course, we then know that she went planning to murder her. There's no other reason for her to have a gun on her. And the fact that she knows I'm gonna be doing her hair, I'm gonna be standing behind her, and Lynell is none the wiser. She's sitting there, head turned to her friend and ex sexual partner of a few weeks, and then she just shoots her.
Heath
Yeah. So this was a completely premeditated plan. And also, detectives believe that she was attempting to load Lynelle, along with all the bloody towels and blankets and the rug, into the car. And she was planning to drive that car and the evidence and Lynelle's body out to a remote stretch of desert nearby and discard of it all, perhaps setting it on fire.
Daphne
And then she just gave up and left a shit ton of evidence behind.
Heath
Yeah. I'm assuming that either it was too difficult for just the fact that, like, the. The spare tire was laying on the ground behind, like, behind the trunk.
Daphne
Yeah.
Heath
And how police believe that that was kind of like a stepping stool. I'm assuming that it was just too hard for Lorraine to pick up Linnell's body and move it into the trunk. So that's why she just gave up.
Daphne
And then she gave that weird ass story, by the way. We thought that was weird and we didn't want to point it out earlier, but, yeah, sitting at the park for six hours, that's weird.
Heath
That's fucking weird.
Daphne
Yeah. And. But that was her kind of way of not having you know, because there's no.
Heath
Not putting herself at the. At the crime scene when the crime.
Daphne
Happened or putting herself somewhere where there would be evidence of the contrary that she was not there. But if she's at a public park, nobody would really notice if she was there.
Heath
True. Yeah.
Daphne
And she could just say that she's sitting there, even though it's like you're sitting at the park for six hours by yourself doing nothing but watching the children play. Okay, well, at 4:44pm on the day that Lynell was killed, Lorraine received a call from her boyfriend telling her that Lewis was coming home early unexpectedly. Her boyfriend not knowing that Lewis was actually staying at Bobby's house. So her boyfriend is like, by the way, like, Lewis is coming back, just so you know, not that he was a part of the murder plan.
Heath
Yeah, he was just kind of, like, letting her know casually.
Daphne
Yeah. And so now this is kind of getting the gear going, because 4:44pm is after Linnell is already murdered. So it was from that moment that she decided that she was going to frame Lewis. In her panic, she wound up concocting a story that was incapable of being true. Unbeknownst to her, of course, given that Lewis was actually hours away at the time. So after finally being convinced that the culprit was Lorraine and not Lewis after all, the Palmdale Sheriff's office issued a warrant for her arrest. But this is crazy, because by the time they came to this conclusion, Lorraine had fled and she wasn't apprehended for almost a year. And here's how they caught her. So while she was still on the loose after months with no leads on her whereabouts, Linnell's case was featured on America's Most Wanted alongside a picture and description of Lorraine. They're trying to get the word out. Yes.
Heath
Love this. America's Most Wanted coming in. Clutch.
Daphne
I know. This is actually what got her caught, because an informant happened to see this and tipped off the FBI because they knew where she was. They said that she had been in Belize. So girl fled the country on January 25th of 2012. Over a year and a half after Linnell's murder, the FBI hunted Lorraine down, and she was extradited back to the US first to Houston, Texas, where she made her first court appearance. And she was then sent back to her home state of California while detained for questioning. After being on the lam for over a year, Lorraine was cagey and defensive, saying, I went on vacation like normal people do, go exploring and go to parties. So I decided to go do some traveling. So that's what I did. When asked about her portrayal in the media, she said, that kind of rubbed me the wrong way that I was plotting on my friend for financial support. For what? Financial support or something like that. Or basically trying to mooch well. Despite the evidence stacked against her, both Lorraine and her defense attorney maintained that Lewis was the true murderer.
Heath
Obviously, he could not have been because we already proved that he couldn't have been.
Daphne
No, there's no evidence proving it was Lewis and literally all the evidence proving that it was her. But on August 13, 2015, she was found guilty of first degree murder and was sentenced to two terms of 25 years to life. Lorraine is currently imprisoned at the California Institute for Women in Chino, California, and she will be eligible for parole in February of 2032, though who knows what will come of that? She probably will not be released. On the other hand, Lewis has since gotten married and had a child. And he maintains that he was never violent with Lanell. One of Lynell's best friends from nursing school, Marcel, who, like Lewis, was new to the states when Lynell met him, said that he will never forget the gratitude he feels for her taking him under her wing and calls her his guardian angel. He even named his daughter Lynelle after her. Thank you so much, everybody for listening to this episode of Going west.
Heath
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I'd love to hear your comments about Lorraine.
Daphne
When I found out that it was Lorraine, I. I literally was like, what?
Heath
Yeah, I know, Me too. I was like, are you. You gotta be kidding me. Like, this had to have been Louis. But you know what? It wasn't. It was Lorraine the whole time.
Daphne
It wasn't. This was such a crazy episode to research and dive into. Thank you guys so much for tuning in and also again, big shout out to Anna for recommending it, putting this case on our radar. Appreciate everybody listening. And I just want to say in a little over a month from today, my debut thriller novel, Night Watcher, comes out. It is about a masked serial killer in Portland, Oregon. It's a super creepy book. Please pre order it. It would mean the world to me. You can do that anywhere that you get your books.
Heath
And I just want to say that you should pre order that book. It's a banger. I'm sure you guys are gonna love it. Night Watcher. Make sure you pre order it. Also, just before we go, if you want to hear that really exciting news and have the first opportunity at that really exciting news. Join us on Patreon or become an Apple subscriber. You can do that by going to patreon.com goingwestpodcast or it's very, very simple on your Apple app. You just subscribe right there.
Daphne
It's so easy. And we have over 130 bonus episodes. They're full length, just like these regular ones, but we're leave the country a lot and those I feel like we're a little bit maybe a little looser on the bonus episodes for some reason, but they're we have fun over there. So check it out.
Heath
All right guys. So with that for everybody out there.
Daphne
In the world, don't be a stranger. SA.
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Podcast Summary: "LaNell Barsock // 509"
Going West: True Crime
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman
Release Date: June 6, 2025
In Episode 509 of Going West: True Crime, hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman delve into the haunting and complex murder case of LaNell Barsock, a 29-year-old nurse whose life was tragically cut short in June 2010. This episode unravels the intricate web of relationships, deceit, and obsession that ultimately led to her untimely death.
LaNell Barsock was born on July 27, 1980, in Englewood, California, just south of downtown Los Angeles. Described by her family as a beacon of positivity, LaNell was known for her warmth, generosity, and dedication to making others feel at home. Her compassionate nature naturally led her to a career in nursing, first as a licensed vocational nurse and later as a registered nurse after completing her degree.
Heath reflects on LaNell's character:
“...she had a real knack for making everybody feel at home and just feel comfortable.” ([02:11])
LaNell met Louis Bonheur while attending nursing school. Louis, a refugee from Haiti, had moved to California in 2005 and was pursuing English classes. Their relationship blossomed quickly, leading them to move in together and purchase a home in Palmdale in 2009. Despite outward appearances of happiness and plans for marriage and children, tensions simmered beneath the surface.
Daphne notes the underlying issues:
“...LaNell was just kind of getting tired of being the more financially responsible partner as well as the more motivated professional.” ([07:37])
Louis's lack of career ambition and increasing possessiveness strained their relationship. Instances of controlling behavior, such as intercepting LaNell's phone and stalking her workplace, escalated the tension between them.
Feeling emotionally neglected by Louis, LaNell sought solace online and connected with Ike, a flight nurse from Sacramento, through fling.com—a straightforward dating website contrary to its bold tagline. Their relationship began in February 2010, four months before LaNell's murder, providing her with the emotional support she craved.
Heath muses on the online connection:
“It's literally just a dating website.” ([11:33])
By late May 2010, the strain between LaNell and Louis had intensified. LaNell decided to repurpose their spacious 3,500 square-foot home into a living care facility for the elderly, a venture that reflected her entrepreneurial spirit. However, the ongoing discord led LaNell to confide in friends that she was losing romantic and sexual interest in Louis.
Daphne summarizes LaNell's emotional state:
“She's kind of caught in being comfortable and being in a relationship that she knows and then leaving for something that she feels like she deserves.” ([10:19])
On June 16, 2010, LaNell planned to spend the day with her friend Lorraine Austin, a South Los Angeles native who had been her friend for a decade—or so Lorraine claimed. The day was marked by escalating tensions and eventual tragedy.
Heath recounts the day's events:
“...Lorraine arrived at LaNell's suburban home at around 10 am to get started on her hair.” ([14:34])
Despite previous altercations, LaNell and Lorraine proceeded to work on LaNell's hair. The atmosphere in the house remained tense due to ongoing fights between LaNell and Louis. Around 1:30 pm, seeking space, Lorraine moved to a nearby park, which turned out to be a critical decision in the unfolding events.
Upon returning to the house around 6:30 pm, Lorraine discovered LaNell's lifeless body in the garage, wrapped in a black plastic trash bag. The scene was chaotic, with blood spatter, discarded bloody towels, and LaNell's BMW trunk open and cluttered with evidence.
Daphne describes the scene:
“...she saw LaNell's bloodied body lying lifeless next to her car.” ([17:40])
Detectives found a disorganized crime scene suggesting an attempt to conceal the murder, but incomplete efforts left substantial evidence behind.
Initial suspicions naturally fell on Louis Bonheur due to his erratic behavior and possession of incriminating items like a breakup note allegedly written by LaNell. However, alibi verification through security footage proved Louis's innocence, as he was several hours away at the time of the murder.
Heath emphasizes the breakthrough:
“...security camera footage confirmed he was miles away from the crime scene.” ([24:44])
With Louis cleared, attention shifted to Lorraine Austin, whose involvement became increasingly suspicious.
After initially being held as a suspect, Louis's alibi solidified his innocence. His actions, such as booking flights to Miami and shifting money between accounts, appeared manipulative but ultimately led to his exoneration.
Daphne expresses frustration:
“...everything originally pointing to one person at first, and now it's clear that it wasn't him.” ([39:29])
The investigation took a dramatic turn when discrepancies in Lorraine's story surfaced. It was revealed that Lorraine did not share the deep, decade-long friendship she claimed with LaNell. In reality, their relationship began only a month prior through a Craigslist ad, contradicting her narrative.
Furthermore, forensic evidence tied Lorraine directly to the crime scene. Her DNA was found on bloody gloves, a plastic pitcher, and a footprint on the rug where LaNell was found. Handwriting analysis of the breakup note indicated it was authored by Lorraine, not LaNell.
Heath highlights the evidence:
“...her fingerprint found on the plastic pitcher and her footprint on that rug.” ([36:39])
Lorraine fled the country in January 2012 but was eventually apprehended in Belize after America's Most Wanted featured her case. Her trial culminated in August 2015, where she was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to two terms of 25 years to life. Despite overwhelming evidence, Lorraine maintained her innocence, insisting Louis was the true perpetrator.
Daphne shares her reaction:
“When I found out that it was Lorraine, I literally was like, what?” ([55:20])
The tragic murder of LaNell Barsock serves as a sobering reminder of how complex and multifaceted true crime cases can be. What began as a seemingly straightforward relationship turned into a labyrinth of deceit and hidden relationships, culminating in a shocking act of violence. Daphne and Heath conclude the episode by reflecting on the case's intricacies and expressing gratitude to listeners and supporters.
Heath summarizes the aftermath:
“...Lorraine was found guilty, but Louis went on to live his life, proving his innocence and continuing LaNell's legacy through those she touched.” ([55:10])
Notable Quotes:
Timestamps Highlighted:
Final Thoughts:
Episode 509 of Going West: True Crime masterfully dissects the layers of LaNell Barsock's murder, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the case's progression from relationship strains to the eventual identification and conviction of the true perpetrator. Through detailed narration and insightful analysis, Daphne and Heath offer a compelling exploration of a true crime story that underscores the profound impacts of deceit and obsession.