JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A Harvey man was sentenced to life in prison for suffocating and killing his girlfriend with a zip-tie in November 2020.
Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. said 60-year-old Dennis Sheppard was sentenced by a judge on Monday, Oct. 30.
Connick said on Nov. 2, 2020, Sheppard was involved in a domestic dispute with Jyra Holmes outside her apartment in the 1500 block of Chelsea Road. He said Sheppard pushed Holmes to the ground after tightening the zip-tie.
Sheppard was arrested three days later by a U.S. Marshals Service task force in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
On Sept. 28, Connick said Sheppard was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury.
In a Monday victim-impact testimony, Holmes’ sister said, “I hope the only mercy you get for the rest of your life is the mercy you showed my sister.”
Sheppard was sentenced to life in prison with no probation, parole or suspension of sentence.
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