Houma businessman shoots wife, then kills himself

The owner of Body Elite Fitness Company in Houma allegedly shot his wife in the mouth and then killed himself last Wednesday in their home at 102 Woodburn St.

Nicole Blanchard, 29, communicated with law enforcement via text message and keypad tone response, informing the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office that she had been shot by her husband, Larry Blanchard, 57, and at the time did not know his fate, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois said Wednesday.

Nicole has since been transported to University Hospital in New Orleans and as of Friday, her condition was upgraded to stable, according to an employee at the hospital. The employee declined to talk about the specifics of the procedure.

Major Malcolm Wolfe, public information officer with the sheriff’s office said Nicole underwent “multiple hours” of surgery and is listed in critical-but-stable condition.

The bullet that struck Nicole entered through her cheek and traveled from one side of the mouth to the other, Wolfe said.

Detectives have yet to determine a motive and found no indication of a scuffle, said Wolfe, who was unsure on Monday whether or not Larry left behind a note.

The sheriff’s office will continue to test the weapons detectives found in the residence to determine what gun Larry used in an attempt to kill his wife. Detectives had found a few guns in the house, Bourgeois said Wednesday, but TPSO would not release specifics about the potential weapons found.

As she lay wounded in the couple’s bedroom, Nicole was able to contact 911 Emergency via text message and was transferred to TPSO at 9:25 a.m. She was unable to verbally communicate due to her injuries and instead answered questions by using her phone’s keypad, pressing a button once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no,’ Bourgeois said.

Deputies arrived on the scene within minutes, and the Terrebonne Parish SWAT team followed shortly thereafter and made entrance into the residence, where they found Nicole bleeding from the mouth in the couple’s bed and Larry on the floor in the same bedroom. Larry was pronounced dead at the scene, Bourgeois said.

“We didn’t know where the suspect was,” Bourgeois said. “We didn’t know if he was still in the residence or had fled. She didn’t know either. She was busy at the time, trying to communicate with us. We didn’t know where he was.”

Nicole was taken to Terrebonne General Hospital via Acadian Ambulance, Bourgeois said.

Friends and family gathered Monday at Falgout Funeral Home to memorialize Larry. No date has been set for his burial, which will be done privately.

Body Elite was expected to resume business on Monday, but the opening was postponed until Tuesday at the East Houma location on Prospect Boulevard. As of press time, it is unknown when Body Elite on West Park Avenue and Body Elite Boxing and MMA Gym on Grand Caillou Road will reopen.

Holli Cunningham, a member at Body Elite on West Park Avenue, said she hopes the gym operations stay the same.

“I’ve had a really good experience,” said Cunningham, who added that she would renew her contract when it expires. “I’ve been there for about six months now. It’s like a big family, a comfortable atmosphere.”

Cunningham said she had worked out with Larry and called him “real nice and real motivating.”

“He always gave good advice about working out and what I needed to do,” she said.

Larry Blanchard allegedly shot his wife before killing himself Wednesday morning at the couple’s home at 102 Woodburn St. As of Friday, Nicole Blanchard was listed in stable condition at University Hospital in New Orleans. MIKE NIXON