Sister and her friend killed in botched murder-for-hire targeting Louisiana rape victim; 3 charged

Two Louisiana women were killed in an alleged murder-for-hire case targeting a rape victim that was botched by mistaken identity, authorities said Monday. One of the women was the sister of one of the suspects.

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to a reported shooting at 103 Montegut Street in Montegut on January 13, 2021. Deputies found two women shot dead at the location. The women were identified as 34-year-old Brittany Cormier and 37-year-old Hope Nettleton, both residents of Montegut.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office said Brittany Cormier's brother Beaux Cormier, 35, a convicted sex offender, had been arrested for third-degree rape of his niece in Vermillion Parish, La. (The sheriff's office did not list a date for the alleged rape.)

Detectives say Beaux Cormier allegedly solicited two friends -- Andrew Eskine, 25; and Dalvin Wilson, 22 -- to murder the alleged rape victim, according to the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office. Eskine and Wilson were financially compensated to commit the murder, the sheriff's office alleges.

On January 13, Eskine was working out of town, but allegedly facilitated a vehicle to the other two suspects, the sheriff's office said.

Before she was shot, Brittany Cormier reportedly told the shooting suspect that she was the rape victim, "likely saving the life of the actual rape victim."

Brittany Cormier's friend Hope Nettleton, who was visiting, was fatally shot trying to fight the gunman, authorities said.

Beaux Cormier, Andrew Eskine and Dalvin Wilson were arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder each.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office said the three suspects had previously surveilled the residence and had tried to "carry out the homicide on a prior occasion but were unsuccessful" in November 2020.

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