Evening star., 1961-09-03
Police Catch Girl, 13, Man
Who Slew 4 in Death Spree


(AP).-A Chicago eighth
grader and her 32-year-old boy
friend admitted today they
killed four persons for SIG
profit. Three Of their victims
yielded nothing.
The pair signed joint state
ment, then talked at length to
officers and newsmen about the
Staying spree which began
Wednesday in Illinois and
ended before dawn today at
this Far West Texas oil center.
Charged with murder of a
hitchhiker in Texas is John Ed
win Myers. Donna Marie Stone.
10, but appearing to be 19 or
20, is charged in Missouri with
kidnapping.
They also were charged with
killing an Illinois man and his
daughter.
Here were their victims and
the pairs story Of how the
killings occurred:
Last Wednesday the pair
came upon a father and daugh-
ter fishing. They decided to
rob them and take their car.
They bound George Ballard,
At, Of near Belleville, Ill, and
bound and gagged Carole, II.
Myers then shot them with a
% caliber weapon. The vic
tins had no money on them.
The car would not start.
Shot Woman in Field
They walked to a home near
Belleville where Miss Margaret
Wernicker, 80, a st. Louis de-
partment store employe, re-
sided.
They demanded a car and
Miss Wernicker got hers for
them, they said. But other
sources said it belonged to H. P.
Graham, owner Of the house.
They took her along, resulting
in the kidnapping charges. Miss
Wernicker gave them SIG. Be
tween Alton and Thayer, Mo-,
they bound her hands behind
her and took her to a field,
where the Stone girl shot her
twice in the back. The teen
iager wasn't certain Miss Wer-
,nicker was dead, so Myers shot
her in the head.
They picked up Lee DeKraai,
about 80, of Ottumwa, Iowa,
hitchhiking to California, out
side Fort Worth, Tex. Near
Big Springs, Tex, Donna Marie,
sitting between the men, held
the steering wheel while Myers
put his arm behind her and
shot Mr.. DeKraai in the head.
They shot him three other times
and dumped the body in a field.
He had no money.
The Stone girl told officers
she had been intimate with
Myers since last March. He
lived above the girls family
residence. Three weeks ago she
went to Edwardsville, ILL.,, to
live with her grandparents and
Myers followed her.
: She said her grandmother
criticized her. and she and
Myers left August %, walking
to Belleville, about 30 miles
away, where the first killings
took place.
: II was a little scared" Donna
Marie told officers. Texas is
"a big State and I thought wei
might get caught here"
. At about 3 am. today, an alert
Texas highway patrolman, Jack !
Reeves, identified the car from
a description. He stopped it on i
the outskirts of Midland. g
: When Patrolman Reeves saw {
blood in the car, Dona Marie |
started telling the story. She 6
led officers to Mr.. Dekraii's
body on Farm to- Market Road {
'818, about midway between Big
Spring and Midland. 6
Victims Body Found e
) Officers found Miss Wernick-
,er'S body today after the gen. 6
'eral area in Southern Missouri 4
between Alton and Thayer was +
described by Myers and Donna t
Marie after their capture. S
Robert Gibbons, FBI agent r
in charge of the Springfield {
(1l0, office, said Myers and T
the Stone girl had been identi- r
fled by witnesses from photo v
graphs and by fingerprints c
found at the scene of the Belle t
vile slayings.
II feel kind of miserable 7
about all of this" Myers told a
newSmen in an interview. LAS I
a matter of fact. I guess I'm e
kind of glad it's all over" S
He said he has a prison record S
in Minnesota and Nebraska. v
Il don't want that kid c
Donna Marie) getting any of t
the blame" Myers added. "I'll $
take the rap myself" $
In Chicago, the girls father, t
James Stone, 35, and mother, e
Norma, SO, were at home when =
news Of their daughters cap q
ture was received. Mr.. Stone !
said his wife collapsed. I
I'm all shook up" said the t
father, and declined comment. g