UPDATE (04/27/2023): As of April 27, 2023, Tod Lawhon has been found guilty of Manslaughter for the homicide of his wife, Lenora Lawhon. On April 25, 2023, jury selection for the trial of Tod Lawhon, who allegedly fatally shot his wife, Lenora Lawhon, on December 24, 2020, has begun. The trial is taking place at the Morehouse Parish Courthouse.

According to District Attorney Steve Tew, Tod faces up to 40 years in prison and he is set to be sentenced on May 12, 2023, at the Morehouse Parish Courthouse.

I’m proud of the work not just from our assistant district attorneys Mike Fontenot, Sean Southerland, and John Spires, but from the staff from our Bastrop and Monroe offices. The family of the victim has sent an email to our office commending our work and expressed gratitude for our work.

District Attornery Steve Tew

MOREHOUSE PARISH (KTVE/KARD) — On April 25, 2023, jury selection for the trial of Tod Lawhon, who allegedly fatally shot his wife, Lenora Lawhon, on December 24, 2020, has begun. The trial is taking place at the Morehouse Parish Courthouse.

According to officials, they responded to a 911 call around 6:00 PM on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2020, from Tod Lawhon, who claimed that he shot his wife. Upon arrival, deputies say they witnessed Tod exit the residence with his hands up and stated that his wife, Lenora, was dead in the bathroom and the gun was on the bed.

Tod was read his Miranda rights and detained. According to the arrest report, paramedics checked Lenora and confirmed she was unresponsive. Deputies then secured the scene and a search warrant was executed on the residence.

During the search, deputies located Lenora in the bathroom on the floor with what they say appeared to be a headshot wound. A 9mm Colt handgun was located on the bed in the bedroom just feet from the bathroom.

Tod was taken to the sheriff’s office where he allegedly said he was sorry and tried to “fix this” earlier that day. He allegedly then stated he probably needed an attorney and wished not to speak further.

According to authorities, they believed the fatality stemmed from a verbal altercation. Todd now faces a life sentence and pleaded not guilty to Second Degree murder. The trial is taking place at Morehouse Parish Courthouse and is expected to last until Friday, April 28th.

We will keep you updated as we receive more information.