Shepard Gets Life Sentence In Murder-For-Hire

David Neal Shepard from Amarillo was sentenced yesterday after admitting to killing a man in a murder-for-hire scheme.

Shepard plead guilty last month to capital murder.  He admitted to killing Dr. Joseph Sonnier III.  The plea was the result of a deal with prosecutors who agreed not to pursue the death penalty on condition of Shepard pleading guilty.

According to authorities Thomas Michael Dixon of Amarillo hired Shepard to kill Sonnier who was dating Dixon's ex-girlfriend.  The 57-year old Sonnier was found dead in his Lubbock home in July 2012.

Dixon is in Lubbock County Jail awaiting his trial, also for capital murder.