The Mickey Shunick Story

[alum81]

He has been convicted in court of aggrivated oral sexual battery on a child. What ever punishment he got or gets is, in my opinion, too easy.

[Just1More]

Gandalf isn't real...

And so few among us these days know the difference.

[NewsCopy]

As you recall, a white Chevy Silverado, possibly a model Z-71, was identified as a vehicle of interest after surveillance video was released; Showing Mickey riding her bike at the same time the truck was headed down St. Landry. Police say that truck was Lavergne's and he was driving. Police believe he quickly dumped the vehicle, days after those pictures were released. Deputies in San Jacinto Texas say they found a truck in their county, on May 31, burned. But Lafayette police didn't get the tip until the middle of June.
San Jacinto is approximately an hour's drive north from Houston. Lavergne's truck was found burned only days after Lafayette police released photographs of the truck as a vehicle of interest. But it wasn't until June 14th, when an unknown caller phoned the tip line, relaying the information about the burned truck in Texas.

The rest of the story

[Oiler]

I feel very sorry for the family of this young woman. I can't, however, help but wonder what in God's name she was doing riding around on a bicycle at 2:00 AM by herself? I'm a 6-1 and 205 lb male in pretty good shape. I'm also a concealed handgun permit holder that is well trained in the use of my weapon. Even though I'd be well armed, you'll still never see me riding around by myself on a bicycle at 2:00 AM.

[CajunRed]

He has been convicted in court of aggrivated oral sexual battery on a child. What ever punishment he got or gets is, in my opinion, too easy.

If he'd have gotten the hanging he deserved for THAT crime, he wouldn't have been around to commit THIS crime. Let no one feel mercy for him.

[Turbine]

I wonder if this guy ever spent time in Jennings?

[Just1More]

I feel very sorry for the family of this young woman. I can't, however, help but wonder what in God's name she was doing riding around on a bicycle at 2:00 AM by herself? I'm a 6-1 and 205 lb male in pretty good shape. I'm also a concealed handgun permit holder that is well trained in the use of my weapon. Even though I'd be well armed, you'll still never see me riding around by myself on a bicycle at 2:00 AM.

I thought the same thing. The person that committed this crime is at fault, no doubt about it. But you can't impress upon young women enough that they cannot travel around alone and certainly not in the middle of the night. There are predators out there and regardless of how unfair it is, ignoring it or disliking it isn't going to make it go away.

[RaginCajun77]

I feel very sorry for the family of this young woman. I can't, however, help but wonder what in God's name she was doing riding around on a bicycle at 2:00 AM by herself? I'm a 6-1 and 205 lb male in pretty good shape. I'm also a concealed handgun permit holder that is well trained in the use of my weapon. Even though I'd be well armed, you'll still never see me riding around by myself on a bicycle at 2:00 AM.

Oiler, too often people do something once and are successful and then continue to do it believing that it is a safe practice. This wasn't the first time Mickey Shunick rode her bike at this hour. Unfortunately, she came face to face with an individual with sinister motives. Lafayette isn't the quiet town it used to be. We must be on guard at all times and make decisions that ensure our safety.

[Zeebart21]

I feel very sorry for the family of this young woman. I can't, however, help but wonder what in God's name she was doing riding around on a bicycle at 2:00 AM by herself? I'm a 6-1 and 205 lb male in pretty good shape. I'm also a concealed handgun permit holder that is well trained in the use of my weapon. Even though I'd be well armed, you'll still never see me riding around by myself on a bicycle at 2:00 AM.

Seriously?? I have a good friend of mine that is on this board alot, shall remain nameless.. He has a concealed weapons permit...How hard was that to get??

Z

[mahtoo]

Classroom instruction usually 8 hours for new guys plus firearms range time to show proficiency. Application to state police, background check by state police or FBI, depending on state applied for. Of course$$$$ for application/background check.

[cajunhawk]

I wonder if this guy ever spent time in Jennings?

Prolly not. The guy in Jennings preyed upon women of ill repute. And they were all meant to be found after he killed them. This guy is a rank amateur compared to the guy in Jeff Davis. You would be surprised the lengths they went to try and find the guy. They did some tracking on the FBI website profile of the guy, hoping they could catch the guy constantly checking his FBI profile. Apparently, that didn't work. They won't ever catch that guy.

[CajunRebel]

I feel very sorry for the family of this young woman. I can't, however, help but wonder what in God's name she was doing riding around on a bicycle at 2:00 AM by herself? I'm a 6-1 and 205 lb male in pretty good shape. I'm also a concealed handgun permit holder that is well trained in the use of my weapon. Even though I'd be well armed, you'll still never see me riding around by myself on a bicycle at 2:00 AM.

I ride my bike in the same area (typically about the same route.) And because of the summer heat and because I'm usually too busy during the day I usually ride late at night as well. Even at a late hour you'll see lots of bike riders, walkers, and runners during a ride. Even with what happened with Mickey that area is safe. And I really don't think it was crazy for her to ride her bike through a really safe neighborhood with a can of mace in her pocket late at night. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a very bad man happened to be driving by.

If Mickey hadn't rode her bike home that night Brandon Lavergne wouldn't have stopped. He would would have continued to look for another victim. And eventually he would have found some other girl who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just like Mickey. And then everyone would be talking about how that girl was crazy to go running in a neighborhood/leave her drink unattended at a bar/stop and help a motorist on the side of the road, etc.

Everything we do in life is a risk. The risk of dying in a car accident is pretty damn high but that's a risk we are all willing to take. The risk of getting heart disease from eating bad food is even higher but almost all of us do it anyway. Mickey definitely took a risk by riding her bike home. But it wasn't any more outrageous than the risks I mention above.

[BUGG]

I ride my bike in the same area (typically about the same route.) And because of the summer heat and because I'm usually too busy during the day I usually ride late at night as well. Even at a late hour you'll see lots of bike riders, walkers, and runners during a ride. Even with what happened with Mickey that area is safe. And I really don't think it was crazy for her to ride her bike through a really safe neighborhood with a can of mace in her pocket late at night. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a very bad man happened to be driving by.

If Mickey hadn't rode her bike home that night Brandon Lavergne wouldn't have stopped. He would would have continued to look for another victim. And eventually he would have found some other girl who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just like Mickey. And then everyone would be talking about how that girl was crazy to go running in a neighborhood/leave her drink unattended at a bar/stop and help a motorist on the side of the road, etc.

Everything we do in life is a risk. The risk of dying in a car accident is pretty damn high but that's a risk we are all willing to take. The risk of getting heart disease from eating bad food is even higher but almost all of us do it anyway. Mickey definitely took a risk by riding her bike home. But it wasn't any more outrageous than the risks I mention above.

+1

[CajunRed]

Avoid risks that are reasonably avoidable.

[CharlieK]

I ride my bike in the same area (typically about the same route.) And because of the summer heat and because I'm usually too busy during the day I usually ride late at night as well. Even at a late hour you'll see lots of bike riders, walkers, and runners during a ride. Even with what happened with Mickey that area is safe. And I really don't think it was crazy for her to ride her bike through a really safe neighborhood with a can of mace in her pocket late at night. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a very bad man happened to be driving by.

If Mickey hadn't rode her bike home that night Brandon Lavergne wouldn't have stopped. He would would have continued to look for another victim. And eventually he would have found some other girl who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just like Mickey. And then everyone would be talking about how that girl was crazy to go running in a neighborhood/leave her drink unattended at a bar/stop and help a motorist on the side of the road, etc.

Everything we do in life is a risk. The risk of dying in a car accident is pretty damn high but that's a risk we are all willing to take. The risk of getting heart disease from eating bad food is even higher but almost all of us do it anyway. Mickey definitely took a risk by riding her bike home. But it wasn't any more outrageous than the risks I mention above.

Understand the point you are trying to make, but a pretty girl riding her bike alone at 1 am through a fairly big city is not on par with normal every day risks. By the logic of your post life is dangerous, so I should just leave my windows open at night, not wear a seatbelt, etc etc.....I mean life's dangerous, right.

As a parent (hell as a human) my heart aches for this girl and her family. Her killer bears the responsibility for what happened, but we shouldn't kid ourselves, what she did was foolish and unreasonably risky. She certainly didn't deserve to die from it, and at her age especially I took many much more dangerous risks and was lucky not to pay the price she has. That doesn't make it ok.

I am praying her family can find peace and that her killer is truly brought to justice.