Courtney Coco sister, Lace Shawntelle Evans, was devastated and heartbroken upon her sister’s untimely demise. The 19-year-old Courtney Coco was brutally murdered, and her body was discovered days later in an abysmal state.
Coco’s body was discovered in an abandoned Winnie, Texas, building on October 4th, 2004. The body had severely decayed and was almost beyond the stage of recognition.
Courtney and Lace’s relationship was not like an ordinary sibling relationship. The two sisters were related to each other in a way that no one could have imagined.
Lace’s fiance, David Anthony Burns, was also the deceased 19-year-old’s secret boyfriend. While David knowingly two-timed with Courtney and Lace, the recipients of this deception had no clue about it.
Moreover, Burns’ link with the two sisters was not only romantic. Sixteen years after Courtney’s unthinkable death, authorities discovered that he was the one who abducted and subsequently killed Courtney.
The authorities arrested David Anthony Burns after witnesses came forward and alleged that David had admitted to committing Courtney’s murder when it was being investigated.
The police “allegedly” forgot to mention David’s admission of guilt during the initial stages of the investigation.
A careless mistake on the police’s end allowed a murderer to roam on the streets freely for sixteen years.
In April 2021, David Anthony Burns was arrested and indicted in relation to Courtney Coco’s murder.
In October 2022, after being found guilty, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Better late than never, right?
Courtney Coco NBC Dateline
Almost 19 years after Coco’s shocking death, the world will get a chance to look at her gruesome death closely.
NBC’s famous program ‘Dateline’ will exclusively feature Courtney Coco’s abduction, death, the discovery of her decayed body, and the arrest of her perpetrator.
The two-hour-long episode, titled ‘Who Killed Courtney Coco,’ aired on Friday, April 14th, on NBC.
The episode will focus on the conviction of David Anthony Burns 16 years after he committed the most horrific crime of his life.
The show will serve as a reminder of how one’s criminal past catches up with them one day or the other.
Courtney Coco sister and her family finally got the justice they had been waiting for after David’s arrest.
The exclusive feature will only be one episode long. No news of the Courtney Coco case being turned into a series is circulating on the internet.
The response to the episode will play a huge role in determining whether the creators of this program would like to turn Coco’s case into a series.
Who killed Courtney Coco?
Courtney Coco, a 19-years-old student at Northwestern State University, was murdered by her sister’s then-fiance as well as her secret boyfriend, David Anthony Burns.
The primary investigation could not yield her cause of death. Years later, the authorities discovered her killer had smothered her to death with a pillow.
David was charged with second-degree murder with no benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.
He was consistent in declaring his innocence and kept proclaiming that he did not do what he was being accused of.
David went as far as saying that Courtney Coco sister and the rest of her family would not find peace because they were framing him and destroying his life.
The convicted murderer repeatedly said he was not hiding anything as he had nothing to hide.
People who spoke at the hearing recalled the time of Coco’s funeral. They mentioned how David helped the victim’s grandfather when he had a stroke at her funeral.
He was also one of the pallbearers at Coco’s funeral. Courtney Coco sister and family, even in their wildest dreams, wouldn’t have imagined him to be their beloved’s killer.
Courtney Coco parents’ reaction to David’s indictment
David, who was once profoundly loved by Stephanie Belgard, Coco and Lace’s mother, received a lot of hate and backlash from her in the courtroom.
Stephanie exhibited a lot of rage and anger towards him and openly said, ‘I hope you rot in hell.’
She further exclaimed that she never wanted to see his face ever again and that nothing could fix the mistake he had made.
Moreover, Stephanie was struggling to keep her emotions in control. She pointed towards a photo of her deceased daughter and read aloud a poem that Coco wrote about what she wanted to do with her life.
On a personal aspect, Coco dreamt of being a mother to two daughters and one son. On the professional end, she hoped to become a pediatrician or a teacher because helping people was her thing.
“You denied her that. You denied her that chance,” Stephanie stated while looking at David with eyes full of rage, sadness, and tears.
Since her daughter’s death, Stephanie Belgard has become the face and the force for families of violent crime.
She works with the national group Parents of Murdered Children. The group offers support and help to the victim’s families in whatever way possible.
Individually and as part of the group, she supports other families as their loved ones’ cases go through emotionally draining trials.
Stephanie stated how important Coco was to each of her family members and what David took from them all by murdering her.
David’s indictment and sentencing hurt Courtney Coco sister, mother, and other family members because he was hiding under their noses while they were relentlessly looking for her criminal.
Stephanie criticized David’s decision to become a youth pastor. She said it was a way for him to hide his criminal past from the world.
Even after all these years, Coco’s mom Stephanie did not come to terms with her daughter’s brutal death.
The last sentence of her statement, ‘I want my baby girl back,’ clearly showed how David’s crime had taken away a precious part of her life.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XZmpqaZpOkunCvzq6praaVrnqku8KoZKyho6mys3s%3D