Gay Rapist/Serial Killer Ronald Joseph Dominique Sentenced to Live

November 19, 2008

Ronald Joseph Dominique, 43, literally terrorized gay communities in many of Southern Louisiana's parishes, some not far from New Orleans, by murdering at least 23 men over nearly a 10-year period that began in 1997 and continued until his arrest on December 1, 2006.  Dominique seemed to be most active in Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, Jefferson Parish, and Iberville Parish.  By his own admission, the gay serial killer from the Bayou Blue region of the Cajun settlement of Houma (located in Terrebonne Parish, approximately 60 miles southwest of New Orleans) claimed that he selected his victims by hanging out at gay bars and focusing his attention on men he believed would be eager to have sex in exchange for money.

According to investigators, Dominique also enticed his victims by showing them a photo of an attractive woman he claimed was his wife whom he wanted the men he selected to have sex with while he watched.  After getting the victims inside his home, he would ask permission to tie them up - presumably for bondage games.  If they did not agree to be tied up, he allowed them to leave and that would be the end of it.  On the other hand, if the victim agreed to be bound Dominique would rape them and either strangle or suffocate them afterward.  He dumped several of his victims in sugar cane fields, frequently without shoes - which served as an important clue that allowed the cops to connect the cases.

Police believe that 19-year-old David Levron Mitchell was among the first, if not the first, of Dominique's victims.  Mitchell's body was found in 1997, near the community of Hahnville.  Several months later the body of Gary Pierre, 20, was discovered in St. Charles Parish, and in July 1998 the body of Larry Ranson, 38, was also found in St. Charles Parish.  Over the following nine years, the bodies of many additional victims ranging in age from 19 to 40 were found dumped in remote areas including the aforementioned sugarcane fields as well as in bayous and drainage ditches.  Other victims included Oliver Lebanks, 27, Manuel Reed, 19,  and Christopher Sutterfield, 27.  Lebanks' body was found on October 5, 1998, in Metairie; Reed's body was found inside a garbage container on May 30, 1999, in Kenner; and Sutterfield's body was found on October 15, 2006, in the vicinity of a boat launch near White Castle.

When police began seeing similarities in many of the murders, including the dumping locations, causes of death, and the fact that many of the men were barefoot when found, they realized that they had a serial killer on their hands and a task force was formed - but not until March 2005.  Sheriff's departments from nine of Southern Louisiana parishes comprised the bulk of the task force, which received assistance from the Louisiana State Police and the FBI.  The fact that many of the 23 victims were homeless men who participated in drug and prostitution activities also helped investigators link the cases together and had eventually allowed them to more clearly see Dominique's modus operandi.  The straw that broke the camel's back, so-to-speak, and had put the cops onto Dominique's trail had been one of the victims that had refused to be tied up and that Dominique had subsequently allowed to leave.  That man, it turned out, had gone to the police and filed a report of the incident.

After investigators began focusing on Dominique as their suspect in the gay killings, they learned that he was unemployed, unmarried, and sometimes lived in a homeless shelter - on other occasions he lived in trailer parks.  They also learned that his criminal history included arrests for forcible rape, driving while intoxicated, telephone harassment, and disturbing the peace.

The forcible rape charge occurred after a partially-dressed man jumped through a window of Dominique's home on August 25, 1996 with an electrical cord hanging from his arm screaming that Dominique had attempted to kill him.  Several neighbors who had witnessed portions of the incident described it as a sexual encounter that had turned violent.  Dominique was described as a "quiet man" and a "short stubby kind of guy" who did not seem like a viable murder suspect to those who were acquainted with him.

Nonetheless, Dominique confessed to 23 murders shortly after his arrest in 2006.  He also explained how he obtained and killed his victims, and claimed that his motive for the killings was that he simply needed to eliminate the witnesses because he did not want to go to jail for raping any of the men.  With the help of his attorney, however, Dominique saw an opportunity to avoid the death penalty and made a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to eight of the murders and was sentenced on September 24, 2008 to eight consecutive life prison terms.

"He has devastated our community, to have this many homicides committed in one small community, this many homicides in a given year," Terrebonne District Attorney Joe Waitz, Jr. said.

"The lives of eight young men were taken from these families by the actions of the defendant," Assistant District Attorney Mark Rhodes said.  "He knew nothing about them or their families and he callously killed the victims and left a lifetime of pain as their legacy."

Although Dominique is reportedly in poor health with a heart condition and uses a cane to assist him in walking, Waitz said that it was still possible for the serial killer to receive a death sentence if he is prosecuted for any of the other killings attributed to his actions.

"We stand ready to sit at the table with them and help them present their cases, if another jurisdiction should decide to go forward with the death penalty," Waitz said.

"I hope the man burns in hell," said a relative of one of the victims.  "You know, I'm sure he will.  We figured that it would be more horrible for him to stay in prison the rest of his life."

There are several people close to the case who do not believe that Dominique will live long enough to face trial for any of the other killings the police believe he is responsible for committing due to his health.  Time will tell.

Photo credits: Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office