Brandon Nodier pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1985 killing of pet cemetery owner Dorothy Thompson; 29 years later, a judge sentenced him to 10 years

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Brandon Nodier pleaded guilty to manslaughter in July 2014 for the 1985 killing of Dorothy Thompson, the owner of a pet cemetery in Louisiana.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison under a plea agreement, bringing a long-running murder case to a close after nearly three decades without a conviction.

Thompson, 61, owned a pet cemetery in Toca, a community in St. Bernard Parish near New Orleans. She disappeared in April 1985 while fighting to regain control of her property. On May 2, 1985, fishermen found her body in the Mississippi River. She had been strangled, and her body was tied with chains and wire.

According to St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office, Nodier had worked as a groundskeeper at the cemetery and became a suspect because of a legal dispute over the land. However, investigators lacked enough evidence to arrest him during the early years of the case.

The case gained new attention when witnesses came forward years later. Their accounts helped investigators build a stronger case against Nodier, who was arrested in 2012 and charged with second-degree murder.

The case is now being revisited in HBO’s three-part true-crime documentary series The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story. The series examines Thompson’s death, the long investigation, and the strange claims that her ghost led witnesses to reveal what they knew.

Thompson’s death was linked to a bitter dispute over the 14-acre property where she ran the Azalea Original Pet Cemetery.

According to investigators, Nodier and his wife, Bonnie, had arranged for Thompson to transfer control of the property. Thompson later challenged the deal in court, saying she wanted to regain her land.

The legal fight gave investigators a possible motive for the killing. Thompson disappeared just 10 days before a court hearing related to the dispute.

Authorities believed Nodier feared losing the property if Thompson won the case. Still, the connection between the dispute and her disappearance was not enough to prove his role in the crime at the time.

Thompson was last seen in April 1985. Nearly three weeks later, fishermen discovered her body in the Mississippi River in neighboring Plaquemines Parish.

Investigators determined that she had died from asphyxia, per Fox8Live. Her body had a plastic bag over her head, secured with wire and heavy chains had been used to weigh her down.

Despite the disturbing details, the investigation stalled. Police examined Nodier as a suspect, but they could not gather enough evidence to bring the case to trial.

The investigation also faced another major setback years later. Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana in 2005 and destroyed or damaged important case materials, including crime scene photographs, Vanity Fair said. The loss of evidence would later make it harder for prosecutors to prepare for a trial.

The investigation took a new turn in 2009 when a witness came forward with information about Thompson’s death.

According to St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office Colonel John Doran, the witness said Nodier had told him that he was responsible for the killing. The witness also claimed that Thompson’s ghost was haunting his dreams.

Police reopened the investigation and began speaking with people who knew Thompson and Nodier. Investigators also reviewed the original case and spoke with officers who had worked on it in the 1980s.

In 2012, another witness, James Tregler, came forward. Tregler had worked as Nodier’s assistant groundskeeper at the cemetery. He told investigators that he had witnessed Thompson’s killing but had remained silent for years because he feared Nodier.

Nodier reportedly picked him up around midnight and asked him to go for a ride. Tregler said he did not know their destination until they arrived at Thompson’s home at the pet cemetery.

He claimed that Nodier then choked Thompson to death.

Tregler also told authorities that Nodier visited him in prison after the investigation reopened. According to investigators, Nodier warned him to remain silent and said he knew where Tregler’s wife lived.

Tregler later received immunity in exchange for his testimony. His account became an important part of the case, although questions remained about whether his story could be fully trusted.

Nodier was arrested in April 2012 and charged with second-degree murder. He remained free on a $300,000 bond while the case moved forward.

In July 2014, Nodier pleaded guilty to manslaughter as part of an agreement with prosecutors. He accepted a 10-year prison sentence instead of facing a trial on the second-degree murder charge.

Prosecutors had concerns about taking the case to trial. Some evidence had been lost during Hurricane Katrina and Tregler’s willingness to testify was another concern.

The plea agreement ended a case that had remained unsolved for nearly 30 years.

At the time, Doran said the outcome brought at least some measure of justice for Thompson.

“Some form of justice has been served,” Doran said, according to HuffPost. “Ten years is better than none.”

Although Nodier received a 10-year sentence, he did not have to serve the full term in prison. Under the law that applied to the crime at the time, he was required to serve only part of the sentence. He also received credit for time spent awaiting trial.

In October 2026, documentary director Philip Cairney confirmed that Nodier had been released from prison.

His current whereabouts have not been publicly confirmed in the supplied reports.

HBO’s The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story brings Thompson’s murder back into public view. The three-part documentary explores the investigation, the people connected to the case and the unusual stories surrounding the cemetery.

Dorothy Thompson’s Mother Adds Another Layer to the Story

The documentary also explores the life of Thompson’s mother, Grace Wynne, who founded the pet cemetery.

Grace’s past became another major part of the story after researchers uncovered details about a 1934 shooting in Kansas City, Missouri. Grace had shot and killed Martha, the wife of her former husband, John Thompson.

Grace was later convicted of second-degree murder in 1942. The conviction was overturned when the Missouri Supreme Court ordered a retrial, and the charges were eventually dropped.

Grace later moved to Louisiana, where she established the pet cemetery. The property became the setting for Thompson’s death decades later.

Cairney said Grace’s history changed how he understood the documentary’s story. He wanted the series to examine the women at its center instead of focusing only on the people accused of crimes.

The documentary also looks at other deaths linked to the property and the area’s difficult history. Its wider focus includes the effects of past violence, racial injustice, and Hurricane Katrina on the land and the people who lived there.

The cemetery itself was badly damaged by Katrina. Today, the property remains derelict, with only remnants of graves still visible.

Plans to reopen the cemetery in honor of Grace and Dorothy have been discussed, but Cairney said there were no confirmed updates when he spoke about the project in October 2026.

A Nearly 30-Year Wait for an Outcome

Dorothy Thompson’s killing remained without a conviction for nearly three decades. The property dispute, delayed witness accounts, and loss of evidence all complicated the search for answers.

Nodier’s 2014 guilty plea brought the criminal case to a close, although many details of the events surrounding Thompson’s death remain tied to witness testimony and historical records.

Now, HBO’s The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story has introduced the case to a new audience. The series combines the known facts of the investigation with accounts of alleged supernatural encounters, offering viewers a closer look at one of Louisiana’s long-running cold cases.

The reported haunting may be open to debate, but the central facts are clear: Dorothy Thompson disappeared in 1985, her body was found in the Mississippi River, and Brandon Nodier later pleaded guilty to manslaughter in her death. His 10-year sentence marked the end of a decades-long legal battle over a killing that had remained unsolved for years.

Related: Amber Guyger killed neighbor Botham Jean in 2018 after entering his apartment by mistake; she is now free on parole after serving 7 of her 10-year sentence

This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Crime