Terrified Mickey stabbed and maced sex offender attacker as she fought for her life: Court documents reveal chilling blow-by-blow account of tragic student's last hours
- Brandon Scott Lavergne, 33, pleaded guilty to killing Mickey Shunick and Lisa Ann Pate
- Shunick's body was discovered on August 7 after detailed tip
- Pate, 35, was found murdered in September of 1999
- Lavergne was convicted in 2000 of aggravated oral sexual battery, released in 2008
- Mickey as last seen on May 19 as she cycled from friend's house
- Her bicycle was found eight days later in remote, swampy area
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Killed: A body found in a wooded area has been positively identified as Michaela Shunick, 21
Court documents detailing the terms of a plea deal in connection to the killing of Louisiana student Mickey Shunick have shed light on the last terrifying moments of the young woman’s life and her fierce struggle against the man who had admitted to murdering her.
Brandon Scott Lavergne, 33, a registered sex offender, pleaded guilty on Friday to killing Shunick, 21, and another woman, 35-year-old Lisa Ann Pate, in exchange for a life sentence without parole.
He had initially pleaded not guilty, but had a change of heart after the prosecutors said they are going to seek the death penalty.
Court documents made public on Friday reveal that Shunick put up a ferocious fight for her life, spraying Lavergne with Mace and stabbing him multiple times before her assailant overpowered and gunned her down, according to KSLA.
Shunick was a senior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette when she went missing on May 19. She was last seen at around 2am riding her black Schwinn bicycle from the home of a friend.
According to a statement made by Lavergne, he spotted the young woman on the bike and intentionally struck her with his pickup truck, sending Shunick flying to the ground.
Lavergne insisted that Shunick get into his truck and he put her bike in the bed of his vehicle.
When the 21-year-old grabbed her cell phone to call for help, the 33-year-old man pulled a knife on her. That is when the young woman took out a canister of Mace and sprayed her assailant in the face.
As the sex offender was trying to get the burning substance out of his eyes, Shunick grabbed the knife from his hands and stabbed him several times, causing what would later be called life-threatening injuries.
Lavergne fought back and grabbed hold of his knife, plunging the blade in his victim’s body at least four times, which led him to believe that he killed her.
About 40 minutes later, Lavergne drove to a sugar cane field where he planned to dump Shunick’s body when suddenly she came to, jumped up and once again got hold of the knife, stabbing Lavergne in the chest.
Scene: The badly decomposed body was found earlier this week next to jewellery and clothing
Grim discovery: Investigators were led to the wooded area in Lafayette by a detailed tip
That is when Lavergne said he pulled out a semi-automatic handgun he was armed with and shot her once in the head. She died instantly.
After he dressed his wounds, the 33-year-old got rid of his bloodied clothes and other evidence of the crime. He drove the 21-year-old’s remains to an area of an old cemetery in Evangeline Parish intending to bury her, but was unable to because of his injuries, so he left the body in a nearby wooded area, covering it with branches and debris.
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ShareThe following day, Lavergne went to an area off the Whiskey Bay and dumped Shunick’s bike in the river under the bridge, where it was later discovered. He continued to his friend's home in or around New Orleans, where he disposed of the handgun used in the murder and threw the knife in a Dumpster.
According to a police report out of Jefferson Parish, Lavergne was treated for stab wounds at a hospital on the night of May 19. The report stated that Lavergne couldn't remember where and how exactly he was attacked.
Killer: Brandon Scott Lavergne (left) pleaded guilty to kidnapping and gunning down Mickey Shunick (right)
Last seen: The University of Louisiana at Lafayette student had left a friend's house to ride her bicycle home
Deputies said Lavergne told them someone at a gas station stabbed him with a knife or another sharp object when he stopped to ask for directions, but was unable to remember where the alleged attack occurred.
Lavergne told police he returned from New Orleans on May 20. That day, he went back to where he left his victim’s body and buried her.
He went home and burned other evidence, including Shunick’s book bag and iPod.
After police released surveillance images showing Lavergne's white pickup truck, he left Louisiana and drove to neighbouring Texas, where he set his vehicle on fire. So as not to raise suspicions in his town, Lavergne then went and bought an almost identical truck.
Shunick’s body was discovered on August 7 in Evangeline Parish. Police revealed they were led to her body by a tip, but would not say where it came from.
They followed a private road past a small cemetery of about 30 headstones and into a wooded area to the spot where the body was buried, ABC News reported.
Slain: Lavergne admitted to killing Shunick, left, and Lisa Ann Pate,, right, who was founded suffocated to death in September of 1999
Happier times: Mickey on the bike that was found dumped under a highway bridge some days later
Lisa Ann Pate was found murdered in September of 1999
A month earlier, on July 5, Lavergne was arrested during a routine traffic stop because troopers said he failed to register as a sex offender from a case dating back to 2000. In that case, he was charged with aggravated oral sexual battery. He was released in 2008.
He was reportedly on probation until 2010, and is listed as a Tier 3 sex offender, the most serious classification. Tier 3 offenders must register with the national sex offender registry for life, according to the sex offender website.
In response to the guilty plea, Shunick’s sister released a statement: ‘My sister, Mickey Shunick, was a warrior,’ Charlene ‘Charlie’ Shunick, wrote. ‘If it wasn't for her, our community never would have been able to bring down a dangerous man that harmed multiple people.’
Reward: Her friends issued a $25,000 reward has been issued for any information leading to her whereabouts
Best friends: Mickey and her sister, pictured in happier times before she went missing
Shunick's mother, Nancy Anne Rowe, wrote: ‘She refuses to be a victim. My courageous child faced down a monster. Now I think I can face monsters too. And so can you.’
In the court document released on Friday, Lavergne also pleaded guilty to killing Lisa Ann Pate, who went missing in June of 1999.
According to the indictment, it is believed that Lavergne met Pate in Lafayette and ‘enticed of persuaded’ her to go out of town with him, where he killed on or around July 3, 1999, after the woman told him she wanted to leave.
Authorities believe Lavergne killed Pate by suffocating her with a plastic bag placed over her head, the document said. Her remains were found in Church Point, Louisiana, in September of that year.
Shine a light: Friends and fellow students gathered to support Mickey's family in the search for her
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