Texas couple charged over shooting death of 17-year-old on Interstate 170
A husband and wife from Texas face murder and related charges after a teenager was shot dead on I-170 in St. Louis County. The victim, Alyssa Wilson, was 60 days from her 18th birthday.
Texas couple arrested after teen shot dead on St. Louis County interstate
A husband and wife from Arlington, Texas, have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl on Interstate 170 in St. Louis County, Missouri, First Alert 4 reports.
Willie Herndon, 42, faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. His wife, Taiya Herndon, 45, faces a charge of hindering prosecution after allegedly driving him to Illinois following the shooting.
Willie Herndon is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. Taiya Herndon is held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
Surveillance footage reviewed by the Major Case Squad showed a white SUV pulling over to the shoulder on southbound I-170, just south of St. Charles Rock Road, last Wednesday evening. Investigators say Willie Herndon exited the vehicle, stood briefly outside, and fired a gunshot before re-entering the car and driving away. Taiya Herndon was also inside the vehicle at the time, according to investigators. Police confirmed the car was registered in her name.
Officers were called to the southbound lanes near Midland Boulevard in Overland at around 7:20 p.m. after reports of a crash. They found the victim, Alyssa Wilson, shot inside her crashed car. She was transported to hospital, where she later died.
Wilson was a senior at McCluer North High School, a student-athlete and office aide who had planned to attend college the following year, the school said.
Investigators used licence plate readers to identify the suspected vehicle and traced it to a hotel in Caseyville, Illinois, where the couple was arrested. A search warrant executed at the hotel room yielded evidence including the firearm. Willie Herndon subsequently provided details of his involvement in the shooting, as well as information "pertaining to possible ongoing investigations in other areas," officials said at a Monday news conference.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price-Smith announced the charges at the same conference.
Wilson's father, Robert Hickman, addressed the press and thanked law enforcement for their efforts. He said his daughter had been 60 days from turning 18 and that the family had been planning a trip to a Disney theme park.
"This was a senseless act, and we ask that everyone take a look at yourselves inside and make sure that next time something happens like this, you think before something happens," Hickman said.
Source: The Sun