The News-Herald., June 22, 1899, Page 7,
(Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio
 |
| William Gates Murdered, Warrensburg, MO May 2, 1871 by Alexander Jester aka W. D. Hill, Shawnee, Oklahom |
The Butler weekly times, October 10, 1883
Special to the Sedalia Democrat. Warrensburg, Mo., Oct 6.
When the sun rose this morning Chester F. Rude was alive and tonight a corpse and Lewis is under arrest for killing him. Richard Lewis and Chester Rude were neighbors, living four or five miles south of this place. Rudes hogs got into Lewis' corn field and Lewis put them up and notified Rude who came and took the hogs away, but failed to keep them up and they broke into Lewis' field the second time. Lewis again put the hogs up and not-tied Rude. Early this morning Rude, accompanied by his father went to Lewis and was told to take his hogs away, and keep them from getting into Lewis field in future. An altercation ensued which finally ended in Rude drawing a knife and attracting Lewis, when Lewis struck him with a stick or club. Rude fell to his hands and knees, when his father attacked Lewis and was struck with the stick. This caused him to desist from his attack and the younger Rude got up and walked away. This afternoon Lewis came to consult his attorney, O. L. Houts, about what he should do with the hogs, and what step he should prevent them from breaking in his fields and eating his corn. When told that it was reported that Rude was badly hurt, he said that could not be that he had not injured him seriously. A little while afterwards the report came that Rude was dead. And Lewis went to Constable Morris and gave himself up, and his attorney waived a formal complaint and warrant for his arrest, saving he would remain in the custody of the offices until Monday. Coroner W. V. Smith went out to the home of Rude this evening to hold an inquest on the body of Rude but at this writing has not returned.
April 16, 1903 The Tomahawk. (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.)
William Garland fatally shot Mrs. F. B. Neal, of Warrensburg, Mo., and killed himself at Clifton, Ari.
The Kansas City Sun, April 26, 1919
Prince Johnson, 27 years of age, shot and killed by Boa Pierce, Thursday night, April 10, at Ewing Colored Cafe. At the preliminary hearing Johnson was charged with murder and remanded to jail without bond.
Murder of Ethel Close, Warrensburg, Missouri
Two Men Charged In Warrensburg Murder WARRENSBURG, Md. (AP) — Arraignment was expected today for two men charged with first degree murder in the stabbing-death of a sign painter. Charged are Leon Vincent Taylor, 17, and Carl Edward Hardin, 20, both of Warrensburg. Warrensburg. George McBroom, a spokesman spokesman for the West-Central Missouri Missouri Major Case Squad, said both were being held in the Johnson County jail. They were charged Thursday Thursday in the slaying of Jess Howarter, a 62-year-old commercial sign painter from Brady, Nebraska, who used the name "Rembrandt." Howarter's body was discovered discovered in a business building Wednesday. McBroom said Howarter apparently interrupted interrupted an attempted robbery at an automatic laundry next do or when he was stabbed. 4 April 1975
By ED VAUGHAN Democrat-Capital Staff Writer The jury hearing the first-degree murder case of Carl Edward Hardin, 20, Warrensburg, charged in connection with the April 1 stabbing death of Jesse Eldridge Howarter, 62, learned Wednesday that Howarter died about 11 p.m. that day, approximately two hours after his roommate left their Warrensburg apartment. The case is being heard in Pettis County Circuit Court on a change of venue from Johnson County. Hardin is charged, along with Leon Taylor, 17, also of Warrensburg, in the stabbing of the Warrensburg sign painter, known to residents there as “Rembrandt.” Dr Keith I). Jones, a Warrensburg physician and Johnson County coroner for 13 years, said the autopsy he conducted on Howarter’s body indicated that there was only one fatal wound and that Howarter died about 11 p.m. on April 1 Dr. Jones testified Howarter sustain 16 laceration wounds over his body similar to those which would have been caused by a knife and three other wounds to the head, believed caused by a blunt object. Dr. Jones said the latter wounds could have been caused by a tire tool and the stab wounds could have been caused by a butcher knife, both introduced as evidence by the prosecution. The fatal wound penetrated the heart and both lungs, he said According to original reports on the case, Howarter was slain in his studio- apartment, “The House of Rembrandt. It is now believed he interrupted an attempted burglary at the apartment or was the victim of a robbery attempt, according to remarks and testimony heard Tuesday and Wednesday. Following opening arguments by the prosecution and defense Tuesday afternoon, Oliver E. Hensley, now living in Holden, testified he found Howarter's body in the apartment they shared, about 5:30 a m. on April 2. Hensley said he talked to Howarter just before leaving the apartment about 9 p m. on April 1. Hensley said he found Howarter’s body
lying in a pool of blood in the one-room apartment after he found the apartment broken into. The major portions of the building housed a laundromat and an auto garage, where Hensley worked, in addition to their apartment, Hensley noted. Hensley also identified the butcher knife later introduced as evidence and believed to have been used to slay Howarter as belonging to Howarter. Hensley said it had been used to slice meat in the apartment on April 1. A hand-written statement given to Johnson County Deputy Sheriff Paul Pirch by Hardin, admitting commission of the murder, and another given to Highway Patrolman Everett Morgan and the discrepancies in those statements will be introduced in the case, according to statements made Tuesday to the prospective jury panel by Johnson County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Williams. Following Hensley’s testimony, Dr. Mathias Yoong, Joliet, 111., a research criminalogist and blood analysis specialist, testified on several items he tested for blood stain similarities in connection with the case. All were type A, he said. Included were clothing worn by the victim and Taylor, a knife, a tire iron, and scrapings taken from Taylor’s auto. Yoong’s testimony apparently ended after a request by Charles B. Fitzgerald, Hardin’s attorney, for Yoong to completely and scientifically examine clothing Fitzgerald claimed Hardin was wearing that night. Williams protested the request, saying the defense had had ample opportunity to have that examination made before the trial began. The jury was removed from the courtroom and Fitzgerald, Dr. Yoong and Williams accompanied Judge Frank Meyer, at his request, to Meyer’s office for consultation and official action on the request. After a few minutes, all returned to the courtroom, except Yoong. Dr. Yoong was noticeably absent from the courtroom. He was not excused from further testimony during open court proceedings and any conclusion reached in the session in Judge Meyer’s office was not made public. Sgt. James Baker of the Warrensburg police department was the first witness Wednesday morning. He corroborated Hensley’s findings at the scene and gave a detailed description of the apartment’s interior and exterior, as well as measurements and locations of the block where the apartment-garage-laundry is located, and other buildings on that block. Sgt. Baker also said he found the knife in the basement of a home at 305 Ming in Warrensburg, Taylor’s home. The tire iron was found under a porch at 303 Ming, Hardin’s home. A blood-stained T-shirt, believed belonging to Taylor, was also recovered from under the mattress of Taylor’s bed, he said, after Taylor’s mother, Mrs. Mary Owen gave Sgt. Baker permission to search the youth’s room. Hardin and Taylor were arrested April 3, following a two-day investigation by the West-Central Missouri Major Case Squad, composed of law enforcement officers from that area of the state. Baker, according to his testimony, was evidence officer for the squad. The other witnesses to be called by, Williams, according to a statement to prospective jurors Tuesday, include Taylor. Pirch, Morgan and Mrs. Owen. Fitzgerald, in opening statements to the jury, said he would bring out an agreement between Williams and his “eye witness” to the murder, Taylor, that charges against Taylor would be reduced to second-degree murder and that a 20-year sentence for Taylor would be recommended by Williams in exchange for Taylor’s testimony against Hardin Williams had previously told the jury “he (Taylor) has reached an agreement with my office in exchange for his testimony.” Fitzgerald also said that his client's defense will be based on the “alibi” that Hardin was not at the scene when Howarter was killed and that he did not participate in the crime. Although he did not name them, Fitzgerald indicated he would call more than one witness to the stand. Also, he claimed that Hardin had not revealed all he knew about the case to investigating officers.
Clipped from The Sedalia Democrat, 17 Dec 1975, Wed, Page 4
Sedalia Democrat October 10, 1975
The jury trial of one of two Warrensburg men charged with the April 1 murder of Jesse “Rembrandt” Howarter was set Thursday for Dec. 16 and 17 in Pettis County Circuit Court. Carl Edward Hardin, 20, Warrensburg, was granted a change of venue from Johnson County because of extensive publicity about the slaying. He is in Pettis County jail in lieu of f50,000 bond. Howarter was a 62-year-old itinerant who set up a sign painting shop in the northwest part of Warrensburg. Investigators reported he apparently was slain after interrupting a burglary at a coin laundry adjacent to his place. Leon Taylor, 17, also is charged with Howarter’s murder and is in Johnson County jail, in lieu of $50,000 bond, while awaiting trial.
State v. Hardin, 558 S.W.2d 804 (Mo. Ct. App. 1977)
Missouri Court of Appeals
Date Filed: October 31st, 1977
Status: Precedential
Fingerprint: 187712b8dc221170480fc0e7f6e517482077c733
STATE of Missouri, Respondent,
v.
Carl Edward HARDIN, Appellant.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Kansas City District.
*806 C. B. Fitzgerald, Warrensburg, for appellant.
John D. Ashcroft, Atty. Gen., Paul Robert Otto, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jefferson City, for respondent.
Before TURNAGE, P. J., and WASSERSTROM and SOMERVILLE, J J.
TURNAGE, Presiding Judge.
Carl Hardin was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to imprisonment for twenty years by a jury.
On this appeal Hardin contends error in the following: (1) the order to disclose statements taken from third parties by Hardin's attorney and his investigator; (2) admitting statements made by Hardin; (3) failure to require the State to disclose names of rebuttal witnesses; and (4) refusing to permit Hardin to waive the right to have the jury instructed on second degree murder and manslaughter. Affirmed.
On the evening of April 1, 1975, Hardin, together with Leon Taylor, drove around Warrensburg, Missouri, in Taylor's automobile for some time. Taylor's automobile stopped running in front of a laundromat. After Taylor unsuccessfully attempted to restart his car, he obtained a jack handle from the trunk and went to the front door of the laundromat. With Hardin standing beside him, he broke off the lock with the handle and the two entered. Upon entering the building, they immediately saw Jessie Howarter. Mr. Howarter walked into the next room with Hardin and Taylor following. On the way between rooms, Hardin whispered to Taylor they would have to kill Howarter.
Taylor testified he intended to rob Howarter and take his car if he had one. When all three men were in the next room, Taylor asked Howarter if he had any money or a car, and Howarter replied in the negative, although Howarter's billfold was lying on a table in open view. At this point Hardin struck Howarter above the eye with the jack handle and Howarter fell to the floor. Taylor picked up the billfold and Howarter arose and started to grapple with Taylor. Taylor saw a knife and either stabbed or attempted to stab Howarter. Hardin thereupon struck Howarter with the handle and Howarter again fell to the floor. Taylor had dropped the billfold back on the table when he and Howarter first began wrestling.
After Howarter was struck the second time by Hardin, Taylor ran from the building. He hid under his car and said Hardin did not emerge for about five to ten minutes.
The two pushed the car back a short distance from the laundromat door and attempted to hide the jack handle and knife. Howarter's body was later discovered by his roommate and the billfold was found to be on the table.
Medical examination of Howarter's body revealed numerous bruises and contusions on the trunk and arms together with sixteen incision wounds in the body.
Taylor testified he had pleaded guilty to second degree murder and received a sentence of twenty years.
In response to the State's motion for discovery pursuant to Rule 25.34, the court *807 required Hardin's attorney to give to the State copies of statements which an investigator working for Hardin's attorney had obtained from witnesses. No statement given by Hardin was required to be delivered nor did the statements contain any opinions, theories or conclusions of Hardin's counsel or the investigator.
Hardin first contends the court erred in ordering the disclosure of the statements taken from witnesses because this violated the right of Hardin against self-incrimination, violated the attorney-client relationship and violated the work-product doctrine.
The United States Supreme Court in U. S. v. Nobles, 422 U.S. 225, 95 S.Ct. 2160, 45 L.Ed.2d 141 (1975) held the discovery of statements taken from witnesses did not violate the defendant's right against self-incrimination. The court held the right against compulsory self-incrimination does not extend to the testimony or statements of third parties but is a personal right. The court held that information which was obtained from witnesses did not come from the defendant himself and, therefore, did not constitute self-incrimination. The court further pointed out the witnesses were available to both the prosecution and the defense and nothing in the statements came from the defendant himself. All of these facts are present in this case. For the reasons stated in Nobles, the production of the statements did not violate Hardin's right against self-incrimination.
Hardin further contends the production of these statements violated the attorney-client relationship. The attorneyclient privilege is limited to communications between the attorney and his client. Section 491.060[3], RSMo 1969. Of the statements in question, two were notes made by the attorney of what the witness said, and one was of the same tenor made by an investigator. Even though communications are not restricted to oral or written matters, but extend to information communicated by the client to the attorney by other means, nonetheless no communication in any form between Hardin and his attorney was subjected to disclosure. State v. Dawson, 90 Mo. 149, 1 S.W. 827 (1886).
Hardin further contends the production of these statements violated the work-product doctrine. Under Rule 25.39, opinions, theories or conclusions of counsel for the State or for the defendant or members of their legal or investigative staff are not subject to disclosure. This is essence is the work-product doctrine which Hardin claims. None of the statements produced contained any of the material which is not subject to discovery. There was nothing in the statements which reflected anything other than the recollections of the witnesses concerning the activities and dress of Taylor and Hardin. There were no notes of any kind reflecting any impression of the witness or opinion or theory of the case. The discovery of these statements did not violate Rule 25.39 or the work-product doctrine.
Hardin next complains the court erred in admitting over his objection statements which he made to police officers. Hardin made one statement which simply said, "I saw Leon Taylor break the lock. I hear someone holler. I was running home past 218 Madison." Another police officer testified to his interview with Hardin and related Hardin told him an expanded version of the above statement. Hardin stated he saw Taylor break the lock on the door to the laundromat and immediately started running. He stated he ran around the block and down an alley on the west side of the laundromat building. He told the officer he looked through a window on the west side and saw Taylor striking Howarter and heard Howarter yell, "Oh my God." Hardin then stated he left the scene. The officer further testified the windows on the west side of the building were completely covered from the inside so that it would have been impossible for Hardin to have seen through the window as he claimed.
*808 Hardin urges the above statements did not constitute admissions nor did they tend to show guilt on the part of Hardin and were, therefore, inadmissible. Contrary to Hardin's contentions, the statements made did tend to incriminate him and connect him with the crime. By these statements Hardin admitted he was present at the door when the lock was broken. The jury was free to disbelieve the balance of Hardin's statement, later reiterated by his testimony, that he fled the scene. The statement here is very similar to the statement admitted in State v. Sinovich, 329 Mo. 909, 46 S.W.2d 877 (1931). In that case the court stated at 46 S.W.2d 881 [14, 15]: "Any statements made by a defendant, which tend to incriminate him and connect him with the crime charged, are admissible when voluntarily made." The statements made by Hardin were admissible because they tended to connect him with the crime.
Hardin next contends the court erred in not requiring the State to disclose prior to trial the names of rebuttal witnesses. Hardin argues he was entitled to these names because the State was required to endorse the names of rebuttal witnesses on the information because this was the second trial. He does not argue the State was required to disclose these names under Rule 25.32. He concedes the rule is stated in State v. Hooker, 536 S.W.2d 487 (Mo.App. 1976) that rebuttal witnesses are not required to be endorsed on the information under Rule 24.17. Hardin argues, however, that since he testified at his first trial, which resulted in a hung jury, the State knew his testimony and for that reason knew it would use rebuttal witnesses. The difficulty with Hardin's argument is in the fact the State did not necessarily know Hardin would again testify at his second trial. Hardin, of course, was free to elect not to testify at his second trial and the State would not know of that election until the actual trial. There is no reason to make a distinction as to the endorsement of rebuttal witnesses under Rule 24.17 on the basis of whether a trial is a first or subsequent one. The court did not err when it held the State was not required to list rebuttal witnesses on the information. No question as to disclosure under Rule 25.32 is presented.
Hardin finally contends the court erred in giving instructions to the jury which submitted murder in the second degree and manslaughter because those submissions were not supported by the evidence. Caveat b. under MAI-CR 6.02 states:
Where both conventional murder and felony-murder instructions are supported by the pleadings and evidence and are given, there must be an automatic submission of all lesser grades (MAI-CR 6.06 and 6.08) of conventional murder as distinguished from felony-murder.
MAI-CR 6.06 is murder, second degree, and MAI-CR 6.08 is manslaughter.
Hardin was charged with both conventional first degree murder and felonymurder under § 559.010, RSMo 1969. The evidence heretofore set out was sufficient to support a submission of conventional first degree murder. The evidence would support a finding of willfulness, deliberation and premeditation which are the requirements of first degree murder under the statute. State v. Davis, 400 S.W.2d 141 (Mo.1966). The evidence would further support a finding that the murder of Howarter was committed during the attempted perpetration of a robbery which would constitute felony-murder under the same section. State v. Devoe, 430 S.W.2d 164 (Mo.1968).
Since Hardin was charged with both conventional first degree murder and felony-murder and the evidence supported a submission of both of these charges, the instructions submitting second degree murder and manslaughter were required by MAI-CR 6.02, Caveat b. In that posture the court did not err in submitting both manslaughter and second degree murder to the jury.
The judgment is affirmed.
All concur.
Tavern Death Bv The Star's Own Service Warrensburg, Mo.—Jimmy Hardin, 21, Warrensburg, was arraigned yesterday on first- degree murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting late Saturday night of Craig Sayers, 31, also of Warrensburg. Sayers was shot five times about 11:30 p.m. outside a Warrensburg tavern. A preliminary hearing for Hardin was set for Feb. 27. He was being held in the Johnson County jail last night after failing to post $25,000 bond.
Holden Man Guilty Of Manslaughter Clinton, Mo. (AP)—Jimmy Hardin, 23, of Holden, Mo., was convicted of manslaughter yesterday in the death of Craig Sayers, 31, of Warrensburg, who was shot outside a Warrensburg tavern after a quarrel Feb. 19,1975. The Henry County Circuit Court jury recommended a 6-year sentence. Judge Phil Cock gave Hardin’s counsel 40 days to file for a new trial. Hardin was tried on a charge of first- degree murder but the jury was allowed to choose conviction on the lesser charge. The trial began Thursday.
Hearing in Warrensburg Death of Student Warrensburg, Mo.—A hearing was held in Johnson County Circuit Court here yesterday for a youth charged with manslaughter in the death last week of Peter Mitchell, 14. Mitchell died eight days ago at a Warrensburg hospital without regaining consciousness after a fist fight at a Warrensburg junior high school. The hearing in the juvenile division was closed. Wright Smith, juvenile officer, said about 15 witnesses would be called, including students who saw the fight and school authorities.
The Sedalia Democrat from Sedalia
WARRENSBURG — A lengthy hearing was held in Johnson County Circuit Court Friday for a 15-year-old youth charged with manslaughter in connection with a fight at the junior high school here which allegedly resulted in the death of a Warrensburg youth. According to a spokesman at the police department, the hearing began early Friday and was expected to continue into the afternoon The hearing, being held in the juvenile division, was closed to the press. Wright Smith, juvenile officer, said earlier about 15 witnesses would be called, including students who witnessed the fight and school authorities. It was to be decided if the youth should be held and whether he should be tried as an adult or juvenile Police Chief Gene Burden reported earlier that accounts by witnesses and autopsy results indicated that no weapon other than another juvenile’s fist, was used. Brain damage was cited as the main cause of death of Peter Mitchell, 14, son of Mr and Mrs Harold Mitchell He was reportedly unconscious for two days after the incident before dying a week ago at Johnson Cotmtv Memorial Hospital
Man Held in Warrensburg Slaying, Friday, July 1974 THE KANSAS CITY TIMES Warrensburg, Mo. (AP)—-A young man accused of slaying a long-time Warrensburg newspaper man was arrested yesterday at his home at Fort Wayne, Ind. A police spokesman identified the man as Randy Miles, 18. He was arrested by Fort Wayne police. Three Warrensburg policemen were dispatched to Indiana to question him about the slaying of Don Rhodes, 42, whose body was found Wednesday morning in the driveway of a vacant farmhouse about, 5 miles northwest of Warrensburg. Rhodes was stabbed in the chest and stomach. George McBroom, head of security for Central Missouri State University and spokesman for the West-Central Missouri Major Case Squad, declined to give the basis for the first-degree murder warrant which was issued against Miles. No information was available immediately on any relationship between Miles and Rhodes or on how Miles happened to be in Warrensburg. McBroom said Miles matched one of two descriptions put out yesterday on men who were wanted for questioning. McBroom reported investigators still were trying to determine where Rhodes was and what he wras doing between 8 p.m. and midnight Tuesday night. About 8 p.m., he delivered a television set which he had delivered in a truck to Warrensburg from Sunrise Beach, Mo., where he had been staying with a friend. The friend’s pickup was found Wednesday at Vandalia, 111., about 200 miles from Warrensburg. Three officers who went to Vandalia yesterday were due to return iast night. As many as 18 officers had worked on the case. A man on his wiay to work in Kansas City discovered Rhodes’s body. It was clothed only in underwear and sox. His shoes were found nearby on the driveway. Officers theorized he was slain elsewhere and dumped in the driveway. Rhodes left the Warrensburg Star-Joumal May 17 after working there about 25 years. He had been wire and sports editor. He was single and lived with an aunt in Warrensburg since May and he had spent most of his time on the Lake of the Ozarks at Sunrise Beach.
Unsolved Murder
The body of Lawrence Saenz, 54. Warrensburg, a former Sedalian missing since Jan. 22 was found Wednesday in a side ditch on a road about 6 miles northeast of Warrensburg Johnson County Sheriff Harlan Temple reported that Everett Norris, a farmer in that area who travels the raid frequently in his work, found the body about 11 am Wednesday Temple listed the case of death as being multiple stab wounds Dr Keith Jones. Johnson County Coroner, after an autopsy, ruled that death was due to bleeding into the lung and the collapse of the left lung due to penetrating wounds from the back, produced by a sharp instrument similar to a knife. A wound in the neck produced by a similar instrument was given as a contributing factor. All wounds were inflicted by an unknown assailant, according to the coroner’s report Authorities are investigating robbery as a possible motive for the slaying. Saenz was reportedly carrying two money bags which contained some checks and a small amount of cash when he left his office about 9:30 p.m Wednesday, Jan. 22. This was the last time anyone saw Saenz alive according to Sheriff Temple. There was no money or identification found on the body. He was believed to have had less than $50 cash on his person when last seen. Saenz, who worked at the H & R Block office in Sedalia before moving to Warrensburg. just recently bought the H & R Block office in Warrensburg. Earlier reports indicated that Saenz had called his wife before leaving his office and told her that he was going to a local bar for a beer before coming home and that he would call her when he was ready to go home The Sheriff’s office and the Warrensburg police are conducting the homicide- robbery investigation. He was born, Aug. 12,1914, in El Paso. Tex., where he was reared and educated. He was married to Kathleen Peterschmidt, formerly of Sedalia. Mr. Saenz was a Navy veteran of World War II. He served 18 months in the South Pacific area. The family moved to Sedalia in 1955. He was employed in the finance department at Whiteman Air Force Base. Last November the family moved to Warrensburg, where he owned the H & R Block Office. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and American Legion Post 16. Surviving are his wife, Kathleen, of the home; three daughters, Mrs. Carolyn Zimmerman, Robinsdale, Minn.; Nancy and Maureen Saenz, both of the home; a son Michael Saenz, also of the home; his mother, Mrs. Daisy Saenz, El Paso, Tex., and a sister, Mrs. Mildred Buels, El Paso. The body will be brought to the McLaughlin Funeral Chapel, from Warrensburg. The Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. F'riday at the McLaughlin Funeral Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery
The person who murdered her father has never spent a day behind bars for the
crime, but Carolyn Zimmerman said she's convinced that knowing the killer or
killers were on death row would not have helped her heal. Zimmerman, of Topeka, will speak in Salina twice Sunday about her experience as the daughter of a murder victim and her opposition to Kansas' death penalty.
First, at 10:30 a.m., Zimmerman will share her experience at the Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship, 901 Beatrice.
At 2 p.m., she and other representatives of the Kansas Coalition Against the
Death Penalty will make a presentation at the Salina Public Library, 301 W.
Elm.
"So often people think that if there was a murder in your family, you certainly
support the death penalty," she said. "In my experience, that's not the case."
Zimmerman said her father's murder did not change her moral and ethical beliefs
about the death penalty. People convicted of what are currently considered
capital crimes should spend the rest of their lives in prison so they cannot
harm anyone else, Zimmerman said.
"It doesn't make sense to me that we would kill someone to show that killing is
wrong," she said.
Kansas one of 34 states
According to the coalition's website, ksabolition.org, Kansas is one of 34
states that have the death penalty. Since the current law was enacted in 1994,
12 men have been sentenced to death. There have been no executions.
The death penalty is more expensive for the state to impose, with the estimated
median cost of a case ending in the death penalty being $1.2 million, while the
median costs of a case resulting in long-term incarceration are estimated at
$740,000, according to the website.
Statistics show it is often poor defendants and people accused of killing a
white victim who are more likely to be executed, Zimmerman said.
"There are lots of reasons to oppose the death penalty," she said. "States that
have it tend to have higher murder rates. I think the death penalty makes us
more calloused to killing."
Zimmerman was a young mother living in Minneapolis, Minn., with her husband and
two toddlers when she found out her father was missing. It was January 1969,
and he didn't return home after working late one night in his newly established
accounting office in Warrensburg, Mo.
He called to say goodbye
His office was locked and everything appeared to be in order, except that her
father, Lawrence Saenz, and the contents of his safe -- some checks that never
reappeared and an estimated $30 in cash -- were missing, she said.
Her mother had been planning to pick him up from the office that night, but
before she left the house, he called and told her not to come, Zimmerman said.
He said the weather had gotten too bad, and he would call a cab.
Zimmerman's younger sister, who was 10 at the time, had answered the phone, and
he told her to be a good girl.
"It was almost like he was trying to say goodbye," Zimmerman said. That may
well have been the case, police said. He could have made that call to prevent
Zimmerman's mother from facing the same danger he found himself in.
Three weeks of tension and worry followed, until her father's body was found
outside of town, Zimmerman said. He had been stabbed to death at age 54.
Now that Zimmerman is 70, she said she has become more aware of all the quality
years of life her father missed.
Police were never able to identify any suspects in the case, and who murdered
her father remains unknown, she said.
Family near bankruptcy
Her father's death left her mother unable to keep the accounting firm they had
opened only two months earlier operating on her own. The family came near
bankruptcy before Kathleen Saenz was forced to take a full-time position
elsewhere, Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said she thinks in some ways it was a blessing that the killer was
never caught, which would have forced the family to endure a painful trial.
"I remember thinking how horrible it would be to undergo the stress of a trial
and face the people who murdered my father," she said. "I hoped we never had to
see them."
Zimmerman said people often think confronting the killer would make them feel
better, but she said she doesn't see how going through a trial could provide
comfort for a grieving family. Although trials are a necessary part of the
justice system, Zimmerman said she doesn't think going through them is a
particularly healing experience for a person who has suffered loss.
Mom become provider
She said she thinks what helped her family through their ordeal was her
mother's need to become the provider and work and her determination to stay
strong for her children. Her mother's parents, who lived nearby, were an
"amazing source of moral and financial support," she said.
"She didn't want her family to suffer more than they already had," she said.
(source: Salina Journal)
April 28, 1993
Student Is Charged in Professor's Murder
Warrensburg, Missouri -- A professor of communications at Central Missouri State University, David L. Eshelman, was shot dead in the driveway of his home this month. Two men, one of them a student at the university, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting. Donald J. Ory, a senior, was once a student of Mr. Eshelman's. Both men have entered not-guilty pleas and each is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Established 1993
The David L. Eshelman Memorial Scholarship is available through the University of Central
Missouri Foundation for a student pursuing a degree in mass communication. This scholarship is made possible by way of a gift from Martha Kuhns Eshelman of Warrensburg, Missouri in memory of David L. Eshelman.
SCHOLARSHIP BACKGROUND:
Dr. David Eshelman received his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College in 1958, his graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1960 and his doctoral degree from the University of Denver in 1973. He began his teaching career at Central Missouri State University in 1969 as assistant professor of speech. He became professor of mass communication in 1982, a position which he held until his death in 1993.
During his 24 years of service to the University, Dr. Eshelman served as the faculty advisor for the student chapter of the Society of Professional Jounalists. He was recognized as a national authority in mass communication law and throughout his educational tenure, it remained of the utmost importance to him to teach the specifics of mass communication law. Both personally and professionally, he was an individual who was fervently protective of First Amendment rights and freedoms. Dr. Eshelman demanded excellence of his students, raising their personal sights and leaving them with a self-defined vision. His students have said, "He made me better than I ever thought I could be; I am a better person for having known Dr. E."
Missouri Court of Appeals,Western District.
STATE of Missouri, Appellant, v. Raymond E. WOOD, Respondent.
No. WD 63266.
Decided: March 23, 2004
Before RONALD R. HOLLIGER, P.J., ROBERT G. ULRICH and JAMES M. SMART, JJ. Mary A. Young, Warrensburg, MO, for Appellant. Thomas J. Jacquinot, Cynthia L. Short, Kansas City, MO, for Respondent.
This is an interlocutory appeal by the State of Missouri from the order of the trial court suppressing the statement given by Raymond Wood to law enforcement officials after his arrest for shooting his wife and their six children. Mr. Wood's wife and four of the children were killed; two of the children survived. The State contends that the trial court's finding of coercive police conduct was not supported by substantial evidence and was against the weight of the evidence. It further argues that the trial court misapplied the law in focusing on Mr. Wood's mental condition as a significant factor in determining the voluntariness of his statement. The order of the trial court is affirmed.
Facts
On the morning of February 14, 2000, the Johnson County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call reporting a shooting at a rural Johnson County home. The caller, Carol Wood, Raymond Wood's mother, told the 911 dispatcher that her son had told her and his father that he had shot his family. Mrs. Wood also told the dispatcher that her son was mentally ill and had been on medications for a few days. Law enforcement officers responded to the home and found that Tina Wood and her six young children, Jared (10), Joshua (8), Emily (7), Hannah (5), Moriah (3), and Katlin (18 months), had been shot. Mrs. Wood and the four oldest children were dead. The two youngest children, although seriously injured, were alive. Raymond Wood was arrested at the scene and transported to the Johnson County jail at approximately 9:45 a.m. He was booked around noon.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., Mr. Wood was interviewed for approximately forty-five minutes by two members of the Sheriff's Department, Major Randy Vick and Detective Gary Klote. Detective Klote had never met Mr. Wood before that day. Major Vick was a personal friend of Mr. Wood's and a lay minister at his church. The officers wore plain clothes, not uniforms. Mr. Wood was introduced to Detective Klote and acknowledged that he knew Major Vick. The officers advised Mr. Wood that they wanted to speak with him as law enforcement officers. The officers then advised Mr. Wood of his Miranda rights and provided him a Miranda waiver form to sign. Mr. Wood acknowledged that he understood his rights, and he signed the waiver form agreeing to talk to the officers without an attorney present.
Major Vick then asked Mr. Wood what had happened. Mr. Wood calmly gave a recitation of the events of the morning. He explained that he shot his wife three times. Then, realizing that the children would suffer from losing their mother, he shot each child one time. Mr. Wood further stated that after shooting his family, he shot himself. Mr. Wood lifted his hair from his forehead, and the officers observed for the first time abrasions and gunpowder burns on his forehead.
During the course of the interview, Mr. Wood referred to the “turmoil” he had been experiencing in the days preceding the shootings, and he talked of the “snares” in his head and of “too many ensnaring thoughts.” Toward the end of the interview, the officers asked Mr. Wood if he would give a written statement, but he declined. Mr. Wood's demeanor suddenly changed, the interview was terminated, and Mr. Wood was returned to his cell.
Two days later, on the morning of February 16, after an altercation at the jail between Mr. Wood and three jailers that resulted in Mr. Wood being restrained in a chair, the Sheriff's Department contacted Pathways Community Health Services in Warrensburg for a mental health evaluation. As a result of the evaluation, Mr. Wood was involuntarily committed to a state mental hospital, a commitment that was continuing at the time of the suppression hearing.
In February 2003, Mr. Wood filed a motion to suppress the statement he gave law enforcement officials on the evening of his arrest. He argued, inter alia, that the statement was involuntary based on his history of mental illness; his mental illness exhibited on February 14, 2000; and the coercive conduct of the police in choosing an interrogator who, in addition to being a police officer, was Mr. Wood's minister and close personal friend.
A hearing was held on Mr. Wood's motion. Following the hearing, the trial court entered its order finding, inter alia, that Mr. Wood's February 14, 2000, statement was involuntary based on the use of coercive governmental conduct in obtaining the statement. Specifically, the court found that law enforcement officials knew, at the time Major Vick and Detective Klote interrogated Mr. Wood, that Mr. Wood was mentally ill and had been treated with psychiatric medication; that he had a history of mental illness and had been previously committed due to the condition; that Mr. Wood was deeply religious; and that he trusted Major Vick, a minister in his church and a personal friend, and looked to him as a “helper” due to his position in the church. Thus, the trial court suppressed the statement. This appeal by the State followed.
Standard of Review
Review of a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress is limited to determining whether the evidence is sufficient to support the ruling. State v. Carter, 955 S.W.2d 548, 560 (Mo. banc 1997), cert. denied, 523 U.S. 1052, 118 S.Ct. 1374, 140 L.Ed.2d 522 (1998); State v. Trenter, 85 S.W.3d 662, 668 (Mo.App. W.D.2002); State v. Taber, 73 S.W.3d 699, 703 (Mo.App. W.D.2002). The trial court's ruling will not be reversed unless it is clearly erroneous. Trenter, 85 S.W.3d at 668; Taber, 73 S.W.3d at 703. A ruling is clearly erroneous if the appellate court is left with a definite and firm impression that a mistake has been made. Id. In reviewing a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress, the facts and any reasonable inferences arising therefrom are viewed in a light most favorable to the ruling. Carter, 955 S.W.2d at 560; Trenter, 85 S.W.3d at 668; Taber, 73 S.W.3d at 703. Deference is given to the trial court's factual findings and credibility determinations, but questions of law are reviewed de novo. State v. Rousan, 961 S.W.2d 831, 845 (Mo. banc 1998), cert. denied, 524 U.S. 961, 118 S.Ct. 2387, 141 L.Ed.2d 753 (1998); Taber, 73 S.W.3d at 703.
Points on Appeal
In its two points on appeal, the State contends that the trial court erred in suppressing Mr. Wood's statement to police. It claims that the trial court's finding of coercive police conduct was not supported by substantial evidence and was against the weight of the evidence. It further argues that without coercive police conduct, the trial court misapplied the law in focusing on Mr. Wood's mental condition as a significant factor in determining the voluntariness of his statement.
When a defendant challenges the admissibility of a confession on the ground that it was involuntary, the burden falls upon the state to prove voluntariness by a preponderance of the evidence. Rousan, 961 S.W.2d at 845. “The test for voluntariness is whether, under the totality of the circumstances, the defendant was deprived of free choice to admit, to deny, or to refuse to answer and whether physical or psychological coercion was of such a degree that the defendant's will was overborne at the time he confessed.” Id. Factors to consider in reviewing the totality of the circumstances include whether the defendant was advised of his rights and understood them, the defendant's physical and mental state, the length of questioning, the presence of police coercion or intimidation, and the withholding of food, water, or other physical needs. Id.
A deficient mental condition alone does not render a confession involuntary. Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 166-67, 107 S.Ct. 515, 520-21, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986); State v. Brown, 998 S.W.2d 531, 547 (Mo. banc 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 979, 120 S.Ct. 431, 145 L.Ed.2d 337 (1999); Rousan, 961 S.W.2d at 845; State v. Bittick, 806 S.W.2d 652, 658 (Mo. banc 1991). Instead, coercive police activity is a necessary predicate to a finding that a confession is not voluntary. Connelly, 479 U.S. at 167, 107 S.Ct. 515; Rousan, 961 S.W.2d at 845; Bittick, 806 S.W.2d at 658.
In this case, sufficient evidence was presented to support the trial court's ruling that Mr. Wood's confession was the product of coercive government conduct. The evidence viewed in the light most favorable to the trial court's ruling revealed that Mr. Wood had a history of mental illness, he exhibited signs of mental illness on the day of the shootings, the Sheriff's Department was aware of Mr. Wood's struggle with mental illness at the time of the interrogation, the Sheriff's Department knew that Mr. Wood was a deeply religious man, and the prosecutor and Sheriff's Department selected Mr. Wood's personal friend and minister in his church, Major Randy Vick, to elicit a statement from him.
Specifically, the record showed that Mr. Wood has struggled with and has been hospitalized several times for mental illness since 1985 and that the Sheriff's Department was aware of Mr. Wood's struggles. During one incident in 1990, the Sheriff's Department was summoned to Mr. Wood's home in Warrensburg. Major Vick responded to the call and found Mr. Wood mentally unstable. Mr. Wood was “very incoherent, ranting one moment, calm the next and singing the next.” Major Vick placed Mr. Wood in protective custody. Later that day, a mental health evaluator found that Mr. Wood was not oriented to person, place, or day and that he was agitated, psychotic, delusional, and paranoid. As a result, Mr. Wood was involuntarily committed to a state mental hospital where he was diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia.
The Sheriff's Department again responded to the Wood's home in 1997 when Mrs. Wood reported her husband missing. Mr. Wood, who was described in the missing person report as mentally disabled, was found later that day by Highway Patrol officers walking around in a daze. Mr. Wood was again hospitalized as a result of the incident.
The evidence also revealed that Mr. Wood exhibited signs of mental illness on February 14 prior to and during his interrogation and that the Sheriff's Department was aware that Mr. Wood may have been suffering from mental illness that day. During the 911 call that morning, Mr. Wood's mother, Carol Wood, told the dispatcher that her son was mentally ill and that he had been on medications for his mental illness for the last few days. Later that afternoon at the hospital, Carol Wood told Major Vick that her son went to the mental health clinic and was prescribed medication three days earlier, on February 11, 2000.1 Officers also interviewed and took the statement of Mr. Wood's father, Gerald Wood, that afternoon at the hospital. Gerald Wood told officers that his son came to their house that morning just after 4:00 a.m. He was depressed and agitated. His son told him that he felt the devil was in him and that he wanted the elders to come and cast it out. He also told his father that he had thought about shooting his wife and himself. Eventually, after calming down, Mr. Wood returned to his home. Later that morning, shortly after 8:00 a.m., his son came back to their farm. He was very upset. He told his parents that he had shot his family and that he thought some of his family members might still be alive. He also asked his father to shoot him.
Additionally, a medical questionnaire completed during booking noted that Mr. Wood suffered from mental illness and psychiatric disorders, had a history of mental care, and was under the influence of prescription drugs. Records from the jail log indicated that prior to the interrogation, officers observed Mr. Wood in his cell crying, moaning, pacing, and laying on the floor in a fetal position. He was also observed on his knees with his face on the floor screaming, “Oh God,” “What have I done?” and “Oh Ma.” Later, officers checked on Mr. Wood, who was coughing heavily, and he charged towards them. The sheriff testified that he received updates throughout the day from the jailers regarding Mr. Wood's condition. Finally, Major Vick testified that Mr. Wood's demeanor on the day of the shootings was similar to his demeanor at the time of his 1990 psychiatric commitment.
In addition to the evidence of Mr. Wood's struggle with mental illness, the evidence revealed that Mr. Wood was a deeply religious man and that he had a personal and priestly relationship with his interrogator, Major Vick. Major Vick testified that he had known the Wood family for fourteen to fifteen years. He described his relationship with the Wood family as “good friends.” He also testified that he and the Wood family had attended the same church, the Church of Jesus Christ, Warrensburg Restoration Branch, for the past eight to ten years. Major Vick also served as a priest in the church. His duties as a priest were “to preach, teach and expound and to minister to families in the branch.” He also, along with elders in the church, administered to the sick and needy.
Major Vick explained that as a member of the same congregation and in talking with Mr. Wood's wife and parents, he became aware of Mr. Wood's struggle with mental illness. He was aware that priests and elders in the church had been occasionally called upon to administer to Mr. Wood due to his mental illness. Major Vick testified that as a priest, he, himself, had counseled Mr. Wood spiritually many times over the years and that he had preached during church services that were attended by the Wood family. Just six months before the shootings, Major Vick visited the Wood home along with an elder from the church to administer to Mrs. Wood. Mr. Wood was present during the visit. Major Vick further testified that he knew religion and the church were very important to Mr. Wood and that Mr. Wood was very dedicated to the church. He also stated that he knew his position as a priest in the church was important to Mr. Wood and that Mr. Wood looked up to him as a priest in the church and saw him as a helper.
With knowledge of Mr. Wood's mental illness and of the importance religion played in his life, the sheriff and Major Vick met with the prosecutor and an assistant prosecutor prior to the interview to discuss whether Mr. Wood would talk to Major Vick. Major Vick testified that he believed he was chosen to interrogate Mr. Wood because of their relationship as friends, his position as priest in Mr. Wood's church, and the belief that Mr. Wood would talk to him. The sheriff testified that, at the time, he recognized the potential problems with Major Vick acting as Mr. Wood's interrogator. He also admitted that he knew Mr. Wood believed he was possessed by the devil and had asked for the assistance of ministers prior to the shootings. Although Major Vick's function at the Sheriff's Department was mainly administrative, the prosecutor ultimately decided that Major Vick would conduct the interview. A decision was also made to have a second officer, Detective Klote, present during the interview in order to “destroy” any claim of minister/penitent privilege.
During the course of the interview, Mr. Wood referred to the “turmoil” he had been experiencing in the days preceding the shootings, and he talked of the “snares” in his head and of “too many ensnaring thoughts.” At one point during the interview, Mr. Wood said to Major Vick, “Randy, you showed up to help, just like you did before, to help me.” Neither officer corrected Mr. Wood's misperception. Major Vick testified at the hearing that during the interrogation, he had concerns as to whether Mr. Wood understood that he was acting in his capacity as a law enforcement officer rather than as a minister and whether Mr. Wood was in touch with reality.
Certain interrogation techniques, either in isolation or as applied to the unique characteristics of a particular suspect, are so offensive to a civilized system of justice that they must be condemned under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Miller v. Fenton, 474 U.S. 104, 109, 106 S.Ct. 445, 449, 88 L.Ed.2d 405 (1985). Such is the case here. Knowing that Mr. Wood had a history of mental illness, that he was probably suffering from mental illness on February 14, and that he was deeply religious, law enforcement officials' decision that Major Vick, Mr. Wood's personal friend and spiritual advisor, would act as his interrogator constituted coercive police conduct. By strategically selecting Major Vick to interrogate Mr. Wood, when he would not otherwise have been the interrogator, for the explicit purpose of exploiting the pastoral relationship existing between Major Vick and Mr. Wood, particularly knowing of Mr. Woods questionable ability to discern reality, the trial court could reasonably conclude that the State transgressed the boundaries of the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause and the Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination.
Sufficient evidence supported the trial court's ruling suppressing Mr. Woods' statement to law enforcement officials, and the ruling was not clearly erroneous. This court is not left with a definite and firm impression that the trial court made a mistake. The order of the trial court is affirmed.
FOOTNOTES
1. On February 11, 2000, three days before the shootings, Mr. Wood sought help for depression at Pathways. Tina Wood, who accompanied Mr. Wood to Pathways, reported that her husband had been suffering from symptoms of restlessness, decreased appetite and sleep, and withdrawal from the family. The evaluators observed that Mr. Wood was very sad and slow in speech. They diagnosed Mr. Wood with major depression recurrent and prescribed anti-depression and anti-psychotic medications.
ROBERT G. ULRICH, Judge.
HOLLIGER, P.J. and SMART, J., concur.
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WARRENSBURG, MO (KCTV) – A murder charge against a Saudi man has been dropped, and he is now a free man.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case against Ziyad Abid, 24, who was accused of paying to have popular bar owner Blaine Whitworth killed.
The blockbuster announcement came Friday morning. There had been much dispute over bond for Abid with the Saudi government putting up a $2 million bond, but he wasn’t freed. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office had also become involved in the case.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Ziyad Abid was charged in a murder-for-hire plot against a small-town bar owner, William Blaine Whitworth. The case was supposed to go to trial soon. But Friday, the prosecutor in Johnson County, Mo. announced that all charges against Abid have been dropped.
Prosecutor Lynn Stoppy wouldn’t talk to FOX 4 on Friday, referring only to her statement, which said that very recently, evidence obtained from a critical witness has changed. As a result, the state is forced to dismiss the charges against Abid.
Abid’s defense attorney said it’s the right call, but people in Warrensburg are not happy.
“There’s a stench to this, this town is outraged,” resident Steve Ciafullo said. “Anyone else would face trial, he might be innocent but he should stand trial like everybody else should.”
It seems like everyone in Warrensburg has been following the Whitworth murder case, and people are shocked to hear that all charges against Abid are dismissed.
“I’m really shocked, I wanted to see the case all the information and let the jury decide,” resident Peggy Brown said.
Reginald Singletary is the man who admitted to shooting Whitworth outside his Warrensburg home almost a year ago, September 1, 2012. Back then he told police he did it because his roommate, Abid, paid him.
But Abid’s defense attorney has said all along, that never happened.
“11 months of investigation has shown no link, no hint, no suggestion that Abid was in any way involved in the killing but it ultimately takes Mr. Singletary being asked questions in order to put the lie to rest,” defense attorney Pat Peters said.
Peters said he’s grateful to the prosecutor for seeing the truth.
“I wish it could have been done earlier, but has ultimately done the right thing,” Peters said.
He said the police interrogation tapes show that police are to blame for bringing Abid’s name into this in the first place.
“When you lead someone and tell them what to say and they say what you told them to, that’s not very good investigation and that’s an issue that’s been going on for 11 months,” Peters said.
Police Chief Bruce Howey didn’t respond to that specific charge, saying only that it’s their job to investigate crimes to their fullest, and then not interfere with the prosecution of the case.
He added he’s disappointed the charges are dismissed, a feeling many seem to share.
Mike Bodenhamer was Whitworth’s friend and business partner. He thinks the charges being dismissed against Abid is a political move.
“Pretty disappointed, and he’s smiling on his way home probably. The fix was in a long time ago in my opinion,” Bodenhamer said.
Abid is already out of the Johnson County, Mo. jail. Since his student visa expired while he was in jail, he will now need to deal with that in an immigration court. That charge is minor and he will probably be able to bond out soon.
Background Story from Associated Press:
Background Story from Associated Press:
WARRENSBUG, Mo. (AP) – Charges against a Saudi national accused of paying his roommate to kill a Warrensburg bar owner were dropped Friday after information from a critical witness changed, leaving the state with insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
Ziyad Abid was briefly taken into custody Friday by immigration officials then released on his own recognizance hours after Johnson County prosecutors dismissed all charges.
Abid, 24, had been jailed since Sept. 5 on first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges. His case gained national attention when Circuit Judge Michael Wagner refused to release him after the Saudia Arabian government posted $2 million bail.
Abid was arrested after his roommate, Reginald Singletary Jr., told investigators that he killed bar owner Blaine Whitworth last September, and that Abid had paid him to do it.
Circuit Judge Jacqueline Cook set bond at $2 million in November — along with a number of other conditions — but said she was concerned Abid was a flight risk. She also expressed concerns that Abid would be deported because his student visa had lapsed when he could not attend classes at the University of Central Missouri.
Cook retired and handed the case to Wagner, who also said he was deeply troubled by the possibility that Abid would be deported if released from jail.
Singletary remains in jail on $1 million bond and has pleaded not guilty.
Abid’s attorney, Pat Peters, said in a motion filed with a state appeals court this week that Singletary had refused to answer questions during a deposition Tuesday.
Abid was preparing to enter his senior year at Central Missouri, where he was studying aviation and had planned to become a pilot like his father.
Blaine Whitworth Facebook Page
Unsolved Murder - Who Shot Ernie Denning?
Ernie R. Denning was murdered in Warrensburg and the case was never solved. 26 March 1985. Lots of suspects, no one charged.
MAN TO LOBBY FOR TAVERNS- ST LOUIS -- Ernest Denning Warrensburg Mo businessman Wednesday was appointed executive vice president and lobbyist of the Tavern Owners Association of Missouri Denning is a former tavern owner and is now head of a realtv firm He said he would meet association leaders in St Louis to discuss plans for seeking revisions in the state liquor laws He said 18 year olds should be allowed to patronize taverns and liquor sales should be allowed on Sunday but all establisments not just those which serve food.
January 6, 1972
Missouri mom of baby left in cave charged with murder
Warrensburg Police Department Zakary Carter, 20, allegedly helped his friend, 19-year-old Latasha Wilson, ditch the body of her dead son in a Missouri cave, and then returned to set the tiny corpse on fire. Previous Next
Prosecutors slapped second-degree murder charges on the mother of a baby found burned and decomposing in a Missouri cave.
Latasha Wilson, 19, had reportedly claimed she didn’t know how her baby died, but the newly released results of an autopsy contradict her story with the gruesome details of the child’s brief nightmare of a life.
“There was a lot of degradation done, decomposition of the body,”Johnson County Prosecutor Lynn Stoppy told Fox 4. “He was set on fire. A lot of different body parts had to be sent off for analysis.”
Police believe Wilson gave birth on Jan. 29 in the bathroom of a Warrensburg, Mo., Walmart where worked.
Warrensburg Police Department A baby boy was born alive in January before his 19-year-old mother Latasha Wilson killed him and ditched the body in the Pertle Springs recreation area south of Warrensburg, Mo., prosecutors say.
Warrensburg Police Department Biology students discovered the burned remains of a baby boy in March inside a cave near Warrensburg, Mo.
Warrensburg Police Department A baby boy was murdered before his 19-year-old mother Latasha Wilson abandoned his body in a cave outside of Warrensburg, Mo., authorities say. Previous Next
The young mom allegedly left the newborn lying in the toilet water for three hours before she finally wrapped his tiny body in paper towels and hid him in her work locker.
Wilson and friend Zakary Carter, 20, eventually ditched the boy’s body inside a cave used by University of Central Missouri researchers in the Pertle Springs recreation area south of town, authorities say.
Carter, who is charged with tampering with physical evidence, later returned and lit the child’s body on fire, authorities say.
A pair of biology students hiking in the wooded park about 50 miles east of Kansas City discovered the horrific scene in March and contacted police, the Kansas City Star reported.
Wilson was originally charged with abandoning the corpse while investigators awaited the autopsy.
Now the full, brutal picture is clear, prosecutors say.
“He was born alive,” Stoppy told Fox 4, “and because of the actions or inactions of this woman, he would be alive today.”
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/
Ernie R. Denning was murdered in Warrensburg and the case was never solved. 26 March 1985. Lots of suspects, no one charged.
MAN TO LOBBY FOR TAVERNS- ST LOUIS -- Ernest Denning Warrensburg Mo businessman Wednesday was appointed executive vice president and lobbyist of the Tavern Owners Association of Missouri Denning is a former tavern owner and is now head of a realtv firm He said he would meet association leaders in St Louis to discuss plans for seeking revisions in the state liquor laws He said 18 year olds should be allowed to patronize taverns and liquor sales should be allowed on Sunday but all establisments not just those which serve food.
January 6, 1972
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