MOBERLY, Mo. (AP) - Two Macon men face first-degree murder charges in the death of a 92-year-old Missouri woman who was allegedly pistol-whipped and stabbed with a machete before her car was stolen and set on fire.
Jeffery Jay Nichols, 18, and Christopher D. Lewis, 22, were arrested Monday and remain jailed on $1 million cash-only bonds in connection with the death of Carmalita Kaser.
Randolph County investigators said the elderly woman's death on Sunday was the culmination of a two-day crime spree. The pair allegedly stole several cars, shot two people, assaulted another woman and shoplifted and stole guns in Randolph and Macon counties.
Kaser was found dead at her Moberly home when police tried to contact her about a vehicle that had been burned earlier in the day. Court documents and autopsy records indicate Kaser had a stab wound on her neck.
Moberly police said they expect to file other charges against the two men. Nichols is being held in the Chariton County Jail, and Lewis is in the Randolph County Jail.
The crime spree reportedly began with a shoplifting of the machete at a Moberly Walmart, with police later responding to a vehicle fire, a robbery, an assault and a shooting.
Moberly police commander Kenna Neese said the two shooting victims were taken to University Hospital in Columbia, where one was listed in fair condition and the other was in serious condition. A truck owned by one of the shooting victims was stolen and later wrecked, Neese said.
According to court documents, Lewis and Nichols told investigators they entered Kaser's home to steal money.