Disgraced Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts' former lover was found dead just weeks after her ex-husband accused him of being abusive, it was revealed Thursday.

Roberts, 43, who was found guilty on Tuesday of having sex with her son's underaged friend, started dating William Andrew Cronce in the wake of her divorce from Duncan Clanton, the father of her children.

Cronce, a local pipe liner, was then found dead on February 23, 2024.

An online obituary described the 38 year old as a loving and hardworking father, who coached baseball in the DeRidder community where Roberts served as mayor.

'He was unstoppable on a machine or with a ball in his glove,' the obituary said. 'He was truly the man in the arena - falling, standing up and trying again.'

It went on to say that 'behind an extremely hard exterior was the most gentle man.'

'He loved and lived with so much emotion and passion,' the obituary concludes.   

It is unclear how Cronce died, but his death came just about one month after Clanton accused him of being abusive in a civil restraining order to keep him away from his and Roberts' two adolescent children, according to the New York Post.

Clanton argued that his ex-wife's new lover had alcoholic, suicidal and 'stalky' tendencies in the January 24, 2024 letter asking a Beauregard Parish court judge to grant the protection order on behalf of his daughter, then 10 years old, and son, 13.

'I am fearful for my children's safety because William Andrew Cronce does have access to weapons/handguns, he is bold enough to publicly voice/threaten suicide and has shown stalking behavior with the mother of my children,' he wrote.

The worried father then went on to claim that during an argument with Roberts, Cronce 'exited the house loudly, shouting in front of [the children] that their mother needs to learn to shut her "c*** sucker" if she knows what's good for her.'

Cronce had even allegedly threatened suicide in a Facebook post following a breakup with Roberts, and was later found by police 'incapacitated and unconscious with a gun on his person,' the ex-husband said.

'If he is brave enough to take his own life, what is stopping him from shooting Misty, our kids and himself?' Clanton asked, rhetorically.

He also said that despite Cronce allegedly 'stalking' his ex-wife by taking photos of her home and vehicle and sending them to her while they were broken up, she took him back.

Clanton then ultimately filed the request for a protection order after he said Roberts ignored his repeated pleas to keep Cronce away from their children - and even disregarded their own daughter's wishes not to see him.

Cronce 'has a history of instability and alcoholism that is abusive in relationships,' the father-of-two wrote in the court document.

'Our children told me this is specifically the reason why [his and Roberts] relationship ended, because their mother didn't want them to be raised in a household that way.

'Now, they are back together and our children, in my opinion, are forced to witness a toxic relationship.'

Cronce's lawyer filed a response in the case, denying the abuse allegations and requesting the order be dismissed on February 2, 2024 - just three weeks before the 38-year-old was found dead.

But in her own letter to a judge, Roberts admitted that her 'strained mental state' following the divorce led her to engage in a 'severely mental [sic] and physically abusive relationship,' the Post reports. 

Court documents previously obtained by the Daily Mail show just how contentious that divorce was, with the repeatedly trading jabs at each other.

In one text message from 2022, Clanton called his estranged wife 'cold blooded,' a 'real piece of s***' and 'an alcoholic, cheating SOB.'

He went on to call her 'shallow' and told her to 'have fun living your propped-up life!' 

'Yet you’re the social media super-mom! People see through your bulls*** every time you make a post. Keep on! You’re the wolf. And I have never been toxic. You just quit and gave up. Own it and you man the f*** up!'

In another exchange just one month after they initially split in May of 2022, Clanton text Roberts saying: 'Remember to remove Clanton as your last name.'

She responded saying she didn't have to, to which Clanton answered that she had 'rode' the 'coattails long enough'.

Clanton then said: 'It's funny how many names have been given to me about who all you have slept with.'

But the foul-mouthed back and forth seemed to subside days after the pool party that landed the mayor in hot water. 

'I f***ed up, and I respect you enough to tell you,' Roberts wrote to Clanton on July 23, 2024, three days after the incident.

Clanton did not seem deterred by the allegations against his ex-wife, replying: 'You are a great mom and that's what's going to be your foundation. That's what's [sic] is going to get you through it. You're strong.'

In another exchange he even vowed to stand by side her despite not being together, saying: 'I won't turn my back on you.'

Roberts then turned herself in that August and was soon released on a $100,00 surety bond.

Months later, in December of 2024, Roberts and Clanton agreed to maintain joint custody of their children - but with the children living with Clanton.

It was also decided that child support payments would be terminated as he was now the main parent to make decisions for the two teenagers.

Once that was decided, Roberts, who represented herself in court for the custody case, asked to make a statement in which she referenced the incident. 

She said: 'This agreement is no way intended to act as an admission of guilt nor is to have any effect on any current pending criminal matters.'

But as the ex-mayor's trial wrapped up on Tuesday, the victim took the stand and told the court that he was drunk at the time he and Roberts had sex.

'I was kind of dizzy,' he said. 'I had to put my hands on the couch. My eyes were just like closed.'

He recalled that they had kissed by the pool before Roberts suggested a more private location, where she took her top off and pulled his pants down. 

'While it was happening, I couldn't feel my body.'

Following the crime, the victim's mother had got in touch with Roberts to ensure she wasn't pregnant. At which point, Roberts said she was on birth control but later ordered a Plan B on DoorDash. 

Roberts resigned as mayor soon after an investigation was launched, and she was then arrested not long after handing her resignation in July 2024.

She now faces up to 17 years behind bars for her attack on the boy, who was a year under Louisiana's age of consent at the time of the incident. 

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.