August Watkins, 31, of Houma, was found dead in a Lafourche Parish ditch; the cause of death was asphyxiation, most likely by strangulation. His killing was later linked to a series of murders that targeted men in the Houma area, many of whom led vulnerable lives and frequented high-crime locations.

The pattern of victims and the brutality of the crimes prompted local law enforcement to seek FBI assistance as investigators explored the possibility of a serial offender. In December 2006 Ronald Dominique was arrested and later confessed to killing at least 23 men, including Watkins, over a period from 1997 to 2006. Dominique’s method, according to authorities, involved luring victims with promises of money for sex, then raping and strangling them.

In September 2008 Dominique pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in a deal that avoided the death penalty; the victims’ families agreed to the plea and he received eight consecutive life terms. Did anyone who knew August or his routines in Houma notice anything unusual in the years before his death?