Harvey man convicted of killing girlfriend by tying zip tie around her neck

August 11, 2024

HARVEY, La. (WVUE) - A Jefferson Parish jury unanimously convicted 60-year-old Dennis Sheppard of Harvey, of second-degree murder for using a plastic zip tie to strangle his girlfriend, 39-year-old Jyra Holmes.

The verdict came after just 36 minutes of deliberation on Thursday (Sept. 28).

Authorities say the killing occurred during a domestic dispute outside Holmes’ apartment in the 1500 block of Chelsea Road in Harvey on November 2, 2020. Witnesses reported that Sheppard placed the zip tie around Holmes’ neck and pushed her to the ground.

After the act, District Attorney Paul Connick says Sheppard was quoted by two witnesses as saying, “She wanted me dead; now she’s dead.”

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered Holmes’ lifeless body in the driveway with a zip tie around her neck.

Sheppard was arrested by a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force in Bay St. Louis, Miss., three days later.

Sheppard’s public defender argued for a lesser charge of manslaughter, claiming it was a crime of passion. However, the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder.

Judge June Berry Darensburg of the 24th Judicial District Court is scheduled to sentence Sheppard on Oct. 30. Second-degree murder carrying a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

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