The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story - Inside Brandon Nodier’s life after the trial

HBO's latest documentary, The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story, revolves around the 1985 murder of Dorothy Lou Thompson, who owned a pet cemetery in Louisiana. It all happened after a bitter dispute over the land, which ended with Dorothy's body being dumped in the Mississippi River.

For years, the case remained unsolved until two men finally came forward with information, and surprisingly, both claimed that they decided to speak up after being visited by Dorothy's ghost.

Brandon Nodier was convicted in connection with the murder of Dorothy Lou Thompson. However, the case took nearly thirty years to reach a conclusion. The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story revisits the case, bringing attention back to the murder and what became of Nodier after his conviction. As for his life after trial, Nodier was released after serving only half of his prison sentence, as the law at the time allowed him to do so.

The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story: What did Brandon Nodier do to Dorothy Lou Thompson?

According to James Tregler, who knew Brandon Nodier and witnessed Dorothy Lou Thompson's death, Nodier strangled Dorothy inside her home in 1985. Tregler recalled that Nodier attacked her twice before carrying her body out and dumping it in the Mississippi River. Tregler said he did not stop Nodier because he was afraid that Nodier would kill him, too.

Speaking of the same, he said in The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story that he should have stopped Brandon when Dorothy took that deep breath. However, he was too scared to stop Nodier and described Nodier as a frightening man, adding that he never thought he could go as far as killing Dorothy.

As reported by People, he also wrapped an extension cord around Dorothy's neck and put a bag over her head. He later covered her body with a sheet and wrapped chains around it. Dorothy's body was found by fishermen on May 2, 1985.

As for the reason for the killing, it turned out to be a big dispute over the land. Brandon Nodier and his wife had agreed to buy the land for $20,000. They were supposed to pay her $50 every month, and Dorothy was allowed to live on the property for the rest of her life. However, when the couple stopped paying, Dorothy took them to court with help from her friend Patricia Newman. Dorothy disappeared just ten days before the trial, and Brandon Nodier was later accused of killing her over the property dispute.

While Brandon Nodier initially seemed to agree with the police when they questioned him about Dorothy's murder, he later refused to admit to the murder and even called his lawyer. In 2009, Jose Cruz went to the police and claimed that Nodier killed Dorothy. Cruz also said Dorothy's ghost had visited him and asked him to help bring her killer to justice. This led the police to reopen the case. Additionally, in 2012, Tregler contacted the police after claiming that Dorothy's ghost had appeared to him.

The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story: Where is Brandon Nodier now, and what happened to him?

By 2012, Nodier was facing a serious charge of second-degree murder. However, the case took a different turn when he agreed to admit to manslaughter instead of going through a trial. Two years later, in 2014, he received a ten-year prison sentence, as reported by People.

However, he didn't have to serve the full prison term, as under the law back then, Nodier only had to spend half that time in prison. According to The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story director Philip Cairney, he's out. He added:

"We reached out to the Nodier family, but they didn't want to take part."

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