Suspect in ‘Lavender Doe’ murder to be sentenced
Posted/updated on: December 15, 2020 at 6:09 pm
EAST TEXAS — A man who confessed to killing an East Texas woman is scheduled for sentencing today. Joseph Wayne Burnette, 42, confessed to killing Dana Lynn Dawn. She was known for years as Lavender Doe, until officials were able to identify her. The 21-year-old reportedly got into Burnette’s vehicle at a Longview Walmart back in 2006. Her body was found on an oil lease road off of Fritz Swanson in Kilgore. The DNA Doe Project was able to use special DNA testing to identify her in January 2019.
