Louisiana man captured in Bay St. Louis after girlfriend strangled to death, marshals say

A man charged with second-degree murder in the strangulation death of his ex-girlfriend has been captured in Bay St. Louis, a news release from the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force says.

Dennis Sheppard, 57, wanted by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, was taken into custody Thursday morning after U.S. marshals learned he might be in the area. They found Sheppard at a Motel 6, the news release said.

He was taken into custody without incident and jailed in Hancock County pending extradition to Louisiana. His ex-girlfriend, Jyra Holmes, 39 was strangled to death Nov. 2, the news release says.

Nola.com reported that Holmes’ was found lying in the parking lot of her apartment building in Harvey. She could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Bay St. Louis Police Department assisted with the arrest.

Anita Lee

Sun Herald

601-909-0638

Anita, a Mississippi native, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and previously worked at the Jackson Daily News and Virginian-Pilot, joining the Sun Herald in 1987. She specializes in in-depth coverage of government, public corruption, transparency and courts. She has won state, regional and national journalism awards, most notably contributing to Hurricane Katrina coverage awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Support my work with a digital subscription