A Texas couple was charged this week in the fatal highway shooting of a 17-year-old high school student who was driving to the zoo for a Halloween party.
The St. Louis County, Mo., district attorney’s office has charged Willie Herndon, 42, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with last week’s attack that killed Alyssa Wilson, authorities said Monday.
Taiya Herndon, who investigators say is his wife, is charged with hindering prosecution, accused of driving her husband to an Illinois hotel 12 miles outside St. Louis, prosecutor Melissa Price Smith said at a news conference Monday.
It’s unclear whether either of the two, originally from Arlington, Texas, has an attorney. The area state public defender’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attack killed Alyssa, who was on the brink of adulthood and optimistic about the journey ahead, her father, Robert Hickman, said at the news conference.
“Alyssa was 17 years old, excited about her life, excited about her future,” he said through tears.
The shooting happened around 7 p.m. Wednesday as Alyssa was driving south on Interstate 170 in Overland, Mo., just northwest of St. Louis, said Jack Abell, chief deputy commander of the area’s Major Case Squad. She was on her way to Halloween festivities at the St. Louis Zoo, known as “Boo at the Zoo,” Abell said.
According to security video, Alyssa was heading south and had just passed a white Buick Enclave that was stopped on the shoulder when the sound of a single gunshot was heard, Abell said during the news conference.
“One person got out of the vehicle and was outside for a short period of time,” he said. “There was a shot, I got back into the vehicle. The vehicle deactivated its hazards and continued on its way.”
The bullet went through the back of the red Buick Encore that Alyssa was driving, Abell said. First responders found Alyssa suffering from a gunshot wound, he said. She was rushed to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where she was pronounced dead.
The Herndons had no connection to the girl, Abell said.
Wilson was 60 days shy of turning 18, said Hickman, his father.
“We were getting ready to take our first family vacation together to go to Disney for her to see her favorite person in the world, Princess Tiana,” he said, referring to the character from the animated film “The Princess and the Frog.”
“Unfortunately, she won’t be able to do that anymore,” Hickman said. “It was a senseless act.”
The couple was found after investigators used security video of the shooting, along with automated license plate readers, to track this Buick, which had out-of-state registration, Abell said.
The vehicle was under surveillance for “long hours” before investigators saw the couple leaving the Caseyville hotel, where they were taken into custody Friday, he said.
A judge-approved search in Illinois turned up a gun, along with “supporting evidence,” Abell said, and investigators were analyzing a shell casing found along the highway in Overland.
Major Crimes Unit investigators interviewed Willie Herndon, he said, and came away with a better understanding of the crime.
“During the interview, Willie Herndon provided details regarding his involvement in the incident and additional information regarding possible ongoing investigations in other areas,” Abell said. “These investigations are continuing as we speak.”
The region’s top prosecutor, Price Smith, said charges were filed Friday in Missouri. Bail in those cases was set at $1 million for Willie Herndon and $500,000 for Taiya Herndon, to be paid in full, the Major Case Squad said in a statement.
Both men were being held while prosecutors awaited extradition to Missouri, authorities said.
Inmate records at the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois show Taiya Herndon is being held on an out-of-state warrant without bond. Records say she was booked Saturday.
No jail records for Willie Herndon were available.
Along with about 20 investigators from the Major Crimes Unit, the case received assistance from law enforcement agencies around the world, authorities said.
“The case was solved within 36 hours through the collaborative efforts of the FBI, ATF and the many law enforcement agencies in this room,” FBI St. Louis Assistant Special Agent Dave Herr said during Monday’s press conference.
Abell said he could not discuss a possible motive because cases possibly linked to the attack were still under investigation.
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