Gary Sinegal

Case record: Gary Sinegal

Status and sentence

Gary Sinegal was sentenced to life in prison on April 9, 2007. He pleaded guilty to capital murder in the deaths of Margie Gafford and Louise Tamplin. Under the plea bargain agreement with the Jefferson County District Attorney's office, the state waived the death penalty and the state would drop its investigation of the Barrett case. He was required to serve 40 years before he became eligible for parole. Under the terms of the plea bargain, all other cases against Sinegal were dropped.

Victims and counts mentioned

Gary Sinegal was linked to multiple killings involving elderly women and a third attack described in connection with Brenda Choate.

Margie Gafford

Margie Gafford was 86 years old. She was found beaten to death and stuffed in a closet in her Port Arthur home. She died on April 21, 2005.

Louise Tamplin

Louise Tamplin was 81 years old. She died on April 21, 2005.

Dorothy Barrett

Dorothy Barrett was 82 years old. Investigators had been trying to link Sinegal to her death. She was found beaten to death in her closet in April 2005. The state dropped its investigation of the Barrett case under the plea bargain agreement.

Carrie Billeaud

Carrie Billeaud was mentioned as a New Iberia businesswoman. She was 62 years old. Investigators in Louisiana tried to determine whether Gary Sinegal was linked to her unsolved murder, describing her as found beaten to death last December. The Louisiana investigation involved efforts to compare DNA samples from the Billeaud crime scene to Sinegal.

The offence and facts described

Police described the deaths of the three Port Arthur women whose bodies were found stuffed in their closets. Investigators believed the killings targeted elderly women.

The women in Port Arthur were described as not sexually assaulted, although both were partly undressed.

Deputy Police Chief Raymond Clark stated that Dorothy Barrett died from massive trauma to her chest and facial area, and that she had either been kicked or punched to death. Major Raymond Clark also described Barrett as targeted by violent assault and related her attractiveness to a violent assailant by describing her characteristics as kind and sweet.

For the two women whose bodies were found in closets:

• Margie Gafford and Louise Tamplin were both found beaten to death and stuffed in closets in their Port Arthur homes.
• Police described the three deaths as involving blunt force trauma.

Investigation and investigative leads

Authorities attempted to link Sinegal to the deaths of elderly women whose bodies were found stuffed in their closets.

Sheriff Sid Hebert said that Gary Sinegal may have been responsible for the beating death of Carrie Billeaud, described as a Texas serial killer suspect. Investigators in Port Arthur believed Sinegal may have killed three elderly women and stuffed their bodies into their closets.

The investigative reporting described:

• Investigators considered the identification and profiling of elderly Caucasian females to be a strong link.
• Investigators believed that the particulars with the crimes and Sinegal's identification of victims' wallets suggested a primary goal in the beatings and murder.
• Sheriff Hebert said Sinegal had unidentified DNA on his clothing when he was arrested, indicating there could be more victims.
• The Acadiana Crime Lab submitted DNA samples to a lab in Texas, with results expected in four to six weeks.
• Investigators compared DNA samples taken at the Billeaud crime scene to Sinegal.

Investigators also worked to determine whether Sinegal was in Louisiana at the time of the killing, and it was said that Sinegal had family members in the state but none in the Teche Area.

Police reported that Port Arthur Police Department could not find enough physical evidence to positively link Sinegal to the first of three murders, and prosecutors formally charged him only with two of the killings.

Arrest and parole status

Police arrested Gary Sinegal, 40, on Friday after he was suspected in the deaths of three elderly women whose bodies were found stuffed in their closets. He was charged with violating parole and burglary in the attack of a woman who fought back and gave police a description of the suspect.

Sinegal was the lead suspect in the deaths of a woman whose body was found Monday and two others found in their homes on Thursday. Sinegal had denied involvement in the four attacks.

Sinegal had been paroled in 2004 after serving 22 years in prison for an armed robbery of two women and an attack on a 77-year-old woman.

It was also reported that police arrested him on the same day as media reports described his description, after two girls who lived next door led authorities to him.

Background and criminal history facts

Gary Sinegal had an almost 30-year history of burglaries and beatings. His criminal record showed he had been in and out of custody since 1977.

The reporting described the following criminal history:

• Sinegal was given juvenile probation at age 13 in 1977 for seven auto burglaries.
• In 1978, he was committed to the Texas Youth Commission for another theft but was out by 1980, when his crimes turned violent.
• In 1984, he was sentenced for an armed robbery of a convenience-store manager and her daughter, serving 20 years before being paroled last year.
• In 1999, Sinegal wrote to state District Judge Leonard Giblin asking that his sentence be commuted and promising to be a law-abiding citizen.
• In a separate description, he was given a four-year sentence and was paroled two years later in connection with a theft case in 1978-era proceedings.
• Dr. Jerome G. Die certified Sinegal to stand trial as an adult in the case involving juvenile adjudication.

Sinegal was described as being an almost 30-year history of burglaries and beatings, with authorities describing a history and characterization of his approach to social realities.

Trial and plea agreement

Gary Sinegal pleaded guilty to capital murder in the deaths of Margie Gafford and Louise Tamplin. Prosecutor Ed Shettle stated that the plea agreement was offered in a dispute over Sinegal's mental abilities, which could have blocked his eligibility for the death penalty.

Ed Shettle said: "I'm not willing to say he's mentally retarded, but that would have been an issue."

The plea bargain agreement included:

• Waiving the death penalty for the murders of Gafford and Tamplin.
• Dropping the investigation of the Barrett case.
• Dropping all other cases against Sinegal.

Defense Attorney James Makin and co-counsel J.D. Hamm believed the plea agreement would benefit all parties and the community. Makin said the families of the victims would have the chance to address Sinegal during sentencing in Judge Stevens' courtroom.

Sentencing

Sentencing was set for April 9, 2007, in Judge John Stevens courtroom.

Sinegal had to serve 40 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Other incident: Brenda Choate and attempted assault

Brenda Choate was described as having been attacked when a man entered her home on Memorial Drive. It was said that her husband, Robert Choate, reported that his wife was doing yard work about 2:30 p.m. Thursday when she found a man in their house. Robert Choate said his wife was covered in blood, that the man knocked her down three times, and that she continued to fight him until he ran away. Robert Choate said she later picked Sinegal out of a police lineup.

Robert Choate said: "He knocked her down and he kicked on her and she kicked him off," "I think he thought, 'I better get away from this broad because she is going to put me in the closet.' "

Prosecutors credited another woman who was attacked, Brenda Choate, with helping to identify Sinegal. Brenda Choate said the man came into her home and attacked her; she screamed and fought him off and believed those actions saved her life.

It was also reported that Sinegal was indicted for burglary of a habitation in connection with that crime.

Procedural disposition of other matters

Under the plea bargain:

• The state waived the death penalty.
• The state dropped its investigation of the Barrett case.
• All other cases against Sinegal were dropped.

Timeline

• April 21, 2005 — Margie Gafford and Louise Tamplin were killed.
• April 23, 2005 — Dorothy Barrett was laid to rest following her being found murdered in her Port Arthur home; media coverage also described an arrest in the slayings of three Port Arthur women.
• 2004 (paroled in 2004) — Sinegal was paroled after serving 22 years in prison for an armed robbery of two women and an attack on a 77-year-old woman.
• April 9, 2007 — Gary Sinegal was sentenced to life in prison.