Ronald Joseph Dominique: The Bayou Strangler
Overview
Ronald Joseph Dominique is an American serial killer and sexual predator responsible for one of the longest and deadliest known serial-murder cases in Louisiana history. Born on January 9, 1964, in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Dominique operated primarily in southeastern Louisiana from 1997 until his arrest on December 1, 2006. After he was taken into custody, investigators said he confessed to killing 23 men and teenage boys. The victims were found across several Louisiana parishes, often in isolated fields, drainage ditches, wooded areas, canals, or other places where Dominique apparently hoped their bodies would not immediately be discovered.
Although Dominique confessed to 23 killings, it is important to distinguish his confession from his criminal convictions. He ultimately entered guilty pleas to a smaller number of murders rather than being tried separately for every death attributed to him. In September 2008, he pleaded guilty to murdering eight men in Terrebonne Parish and received eight consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. He later pleaded guilty to another murder, that of Christopher Sutterfield, in Lafourche Parish.
Early Life and Criminal History
Dominique grew up in the Thibodaux area of southern Louisiana and graduated from Thibodaux High School in 1983. He later attended vocational and college courses but did not establish a long-term professional career. As an adult, he moved between jobs and residences and frequently depended upon relatives for housing. Long before investigators recognized him as a serial killer, Dominique had already attracted the attention of law enforcement.
His criminal history included arrests for telephone harassment, driving while intoxicated, disturbing the peace, and an allegation of forcible rape. One particularly significant incident occurred on August 25, 1996, when a partially dressed young man escaped through a window of the residence where Dominique was staying. The man accused Dominique of sexually assaulting him and attempting to kill him. Dominique was arrested and held on a substantial bond, but the prosecution was unable to proceed when the complainant could not later be located to testify.
Investigators would eventually regard the 1996 allegation as especially disturbing because elements of it resembled the methods Dominique later admitted using against murder victims. Dominique told investigators after his 2006 arrest that he killed victims because he feared they would report his sexual assaults and send him back to jail.
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