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Jury says Nellie Schoonover guilty of virst degree murderOTTAWA (AP) — A jury of seven men and five women, after five hours deliberation, has convicted Mrs. Nellie Schoonover, 49, of first degree murder in the shooting death of her 80-year-old husband, J. W. Schoonover.Mrs. Schoonover sitting erect, poised and neatly dressed in a pants suit, ceased a nervous tapping of her foot and clenched her teeth Monday as the verdict was read that found her guilty of the shooting death of her husband on the couple’s farm Oct. 24.District Court Judge Michael A.Barbara gave the defense until April 8 to file post-trial motions and set a hearing on the motions for April 24. He deferred sentencing until then.After hearing the verdict, defense attorney Myron Steere asked that the jury be polled. Each juror arose and affirmed the decision that she was guilty in the death of her husband, who was found slumped over his tractor, dead of three bullet wounds from a .22 caliber weapon.In closing arguments, Steere accused the Kansas Bureau of Investigation of “sloppy” investigative work. He said the KBIhad ignored any possible connection between the killing of Schoonover and the death of a Wellsville nurse, Mrs. Wilma Jean Willoughby, whose body was found on the Schoonover farm, and that they had done the same in the Schoonover case.Steere said that in their “zeal to protect” Charles Schoonover, 36-year-old son of the elder Schoonover, authorities had overlooked other possible suspects in the Schoonovershooting. He contended Charles and another Schoonover son, Shelby, had attempted to frame Nellie Schoonover.Charles Schoonover testified later in the trial that Mrs. Schoonover lied when she linked him with Mrs. Willoughby. A daughter-in-law of the slain man, Mrs. Fred Schoonover, also disputed the allegations, saying she had been the woman Mrs. Schoonover had seen in a shed on thefarm with Charles.In other testimony in the trial, two Ottawa women—Karen Sue Herrmann and Juanita Thompson-testified that in September 1973, Mrs.Schoonover told them she planned to murder her husband. Mrs. Thompson testified the day after Schoonover waslt;, found dead, Mrs. Schoonover had told her she had killed him. .Little Dealer in the ValleyFree DeliveryWITH THE/aster
Newspaper Details
Manhattan Mercury
Manhattan, Kansas, US
Tue, Mar 26, 1974
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Louis R.
USA 04 Mar 2025
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