dr. sonnier's lab. and she was concerned that dr. sonnier had not shown up. >> reporter: dr. joenier was chief pathologist at covenant hospital. >> we rang the doorbell, and we couldn't ever get anyone to answer. i mean, i certainly don't know his work schedule, but i know him as a person. he would not be late. >> reporter: a lot of people knew dr. sonnier. liked him too. his sister, missy bartlett, grew up admiring her big brother. >> he didn't go halfway with anything. anything that he pursued, he did it well. >> reporter: phillip prestwood was a family friend whom joe sonnier treated like a son. >> went through med school, was dirt poor, lived in a tiny, roach-filled apartment, had no money until later in life when he was a successful doctor. so he's totally self-made and has that drive. >> reporter: that drive led to a successful career, and a marriage that brought him a beautiful family. everything was on track. then in 2001, he suffered a huge setback. his wife left him for another man. his oldest son, dallas. >> and so he found himself, in his late 40s, a single man with h

joe sonnier. how many times had dr. sonnier been shot? >> he had been shot five times. >> reporter: and how many times had he been stabbed? >> eleven. through the house, trying to imagine what happened. >> i just walked up and visualized the point of entry. and from where i was at, i could see that the window was pushed in. there was no broken glass, which is very curious to me. >> reporter: nvestigators also noticed something about that gatorade bottle found on the floor. >> a projectile had traveled through that gatorade bottle. i just made the determinat n that it was possibly a silencer because we did have bullet casings in that immediate area. >> reporter: given the nature of the crime, the people close to joe were in for some scrutiny, including his girlfriend, richelle shetina, who rushed to the house when she heard the news. what's her demeanor? how's she acting? >> she is distraught. no makeup. you know, clothed like she had been doing housework, like she had just got in her car and flew asked richelle to come to the police stati