Brittany Cormier is remembered both as a private person and as the life of the party. Above all, however, she is remembered for being a devoted and loving mother.
Samantha LeMaire, a close friend, said she never expected Cormier to sacrifice her life to protect her daughter.
“She would do anything for her children,” said LeMaire. “But up to this point? I never would have thought it would come to that.”
LeMaire is referring to the dire circumstances surrounding the death of her friend, which LeMaire learned of a few days before a press conference on the subject on Monday.
Beaux Cormier, Brittany’s brother and a convicted sex offender from Kaplan, hired two men to kill his niece, whom he is accused of raping, in order to prevent his victim from testifying in court, according to the Terrebonne parish sheriff, Tim Soignet.
Brittany Cormier, 34, was shot and killed after telling the men that she was his daughter, that Soignet said she “probably saved the life of the real rape victim”.
The two men, Andrew Eskine, 25, from Carencro, and Dalvin Wilson, Rayne, 22, also killed a neighbor Hope Nettleton, 37, who tried to fight the men, the sheriff said.
Beaux Cormier, Eskine and Wilson were charged at the Terrebonne Parish Criminal Justice Complex on two counts of first-degree murder. Bond was set at $ 2 million for each man. Officials say they are working to increase the bonds.
Acadiana’s law enforcement agencies were essential to the arrests made in the January 13 murders at 103 Montegut St. in Terrebonne parish, according to Soignet.
“Everything has gone west since we started investigating this case,” Soignet said in a telephone interview on Monday afternoon. “We knew there was a case of rape that was pending and quite solid, which provided the reason.”
Soignet said investigators determined that Beaux Cormier, 35, of Kaplan, paid his friends to murder the person he is accused of raping.
Beaux Cormier traveled with Eskine and Wilson to Montegut before the Jan. 13 incident to do house surveillance, Soignet said. The men also tried to murder the rape victim on another occasion before January 13, the sheriff said.
During the investigation, Eskine and Wilson finally confessed and named Beaux Cormier as the person who hired them to carry out the murder.
Beaux Cormier, whose rape case is pending in the Vermilion Parish court system, was also convicted of another sex crime in 2004.
Soignet said there was only one other murder case for hire like this in Terrebonne Parish, and that was long before he started his police career 15 years ago.
“We had double homicides. This is not so significant, ”said Soignet. “They are all bad and horrible, but with a murder for hire, there is always a reason why someone wants to kill someone like that. It doesn’t happen very often, and it is usually very difficult to try to get them together.”
Those who have been touched by the violent crime are also trying to put the pieces together.
Amid tears, LeMaire said she had no opportunity to tell Brittany Cormier about her recent engagement or to invite her best friend to her wedding party.
“She was like the big sister I never had,” said LeMaire. “She would have been my maid of honor. She was very much like the life of the party, in her funny and unique way. She made you love her and never judged anyone.”
The two women met about 11 years ago, when Brittany Cormier was dating LeMaire’s uncle. Even after the romantic relationship ended, the women remained close.
Brittany Cormier was godmother to LeMaire’s 7-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son. LeMaire said that her friend has always been great with kids, including hers.
LeMaire said he is not sure what the relationship was between Brittany and Beaux Cormier.
“I’m not quite sure about her relationship with Beaux,” said LeMaire. “Brittany hardly ever talked about him, like almost never.”
Brittany Cormier’s daughter and stepdaughter were hiding in a closet when her mother was shot to death, according to LeMaire and Soignet.
“Maybe they hid in the closet because they were scared,” said LeMaire. “But I like to think that she locked them in the closet to protect them.”
After the death of 2 women, the sheriff says the man hired Acadiana men to suppress the testimony of the rape victim