IRONTON, Mo. — An Iron County jury deliberated about four hours Wednesday in acquitting a Neelyville woman of the shooting deaths of two people whose bodies were found by firefighters inside a travel trailer.
The same jury also acquitted Felicia K. Crumley of the Class D felony of second-degree arson, but convicted her of the Class C felony of second-degree burglary. Crumley, who waived jury sentencing, is to be sentenced June 6 on that charge. She faces a maximum of seven years in prison.
The 28-year-old stood trial Tuesday and Wednesday before Circuit Judge Megan Seay on the arson and burglary charges, as well as two Class A felonies of second-degree murder.
Crumley had been accused of acting with Nicholas Suiter to cause the deaths of Jimmy Lavoid Atchley, 70, of Wappapello and Nancy Sisco, 48, of Neelyville in October 2016.
The state’s evidence, according to a court official, was that Crumley and Suiter had a relationship with Atchley and Sisco. Suiter reportedly was Sisco’s cousin.
“Jimmy and Nancy were living in a travel trailer on his son Michael’s property,” said the official, who indicated Michael Atchley and his wife were out of town.
“Felicia and Nick, they were hanging out with Jimmy and Nancy at various times,” the official said.
“They sneak up to (Michael Atchley’s) house,” which is located about 50 feet from the travel trailer, the official said. “They get a gun and come back and kill (the elder Atchley and Sisco).”
On Oct. 6, 2016, “Jimmy did not show up for an appointment … to get his vehicle worked on,” the official said. “Later that day, Felicia and Nick were discovered to have been making purchases at various Dollar General Stores around town and were selling guns.
“ … Over the next two days, they’re looting and stealing” from Michael Atchley’s home.
The presented evidence, the official said, was that Crumley and Suiter had rented a storage locker at Neelyville, which contained guns, TVs and other items that “were determined to have come from the Michael Atchley residence. … They also were selling guns out of this storage locker.”
Crumley and Suiter, the official said, later returned and burned the travel trailer to cover up their crimes.
A neighbor saw a fire at the Atchley property in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, 2016, the official said.
“It was the travel trailer,” he said, “After the fire burned out, the remains of Jimmy Atchley and Nancy Sisco were found in the travel trailer.”
The next day, the official said, Crumley and Suiter were arrested.
“When they were arrested, they were driving Michael Atchley’s Jeep that they had repainted,” the official said. “Inside the Jeep was a gun stolen from the Michael Atchley residence that the state believes was the murder weapon.”
That gun was a 9mm Hi-Point, which a criminalist testified could “neither be confirmed or eliminated” as the gun that fired the bullets, the court official said.
Based on class characteristics of the bullets, the 9mm Hi-Point was the only weapon in the database with those characteristics, the official said.
The state, he said, argued that while scientifically the criminalist couldn’t say with 100 percent certainty the gun was the murder weapon, the jury was asked to look at the totality of the evidence.
That evidence included the fact that gun had been stolen; was in a stolen, repainted Jeep, and was the only gun with those characteristics in the database … what are the odds it was another gun, the official said.
Also in that Jeep, the official said, was “all the stuff they were buying from the Dollar General Stores.”
Testimony, the official said, indicated Crumley and Suiter had no money.
A journal reportedly found in the Jeep contained a handwritten “game plan,” which included repainting the Jeep and changing its vehicle-identification number, the official said. The handwriting was determined to be Crumley’s.
Although the journal was bought after the deaths, it was part of the “cover up of the crimes,” the official said.
The state’s case reportedly was all based on accomplice liability as Crumley was charged with felony murder. She was accused of acting in concert with Suiter to commit the crimes.
After the state rested its case, the defense did not call any witnesses.
Calls to Crumley’s defense attorney were not returned by press time.
Suiter is charged with two Class A felonies of first-degree murder, two unclassified felonies of armed criminal action, the Class D felony of second-degree arson and the Class C felony of second-degree burglary.
The 32-year-old Neelyville man could face the death penalty if he is convicted of Jimmy Atchley and Sisco’s deaths.
In January, Suiter’s case was moved to Lincoln County on a change of venue from Wayne County. No date is set at this time for Suiter to appear in court there.