Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase said this week that the two murder suspects in a Douglas County homicide have waived extradition and will be returned here for arraignment, possibly as early as Wednesday of this week.
Degase said April Dawn Quick, 32, and Aimee Lynne Herring, 29, both of Mtn. Home, Ark., have been held without bond in the Baxter County, Ark., Jail since they were arrested there on Tuesday, Sept. 14, for the murder of Phillip Allen Taylor, 43, of Macomb.
Taylor was found murdered at the Gentry Roadside Park on Highway 5 between Ava and Mansfield on the night of Sept. 10.
At a press conference held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15, Degase said the arrest of the two women was the result of long hours of following leads and a cooperative effort of many law enforcement agencies in Douglas, Wright, Webster and Greene counties in Missouri, as well as Baxter County, Ark., along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and area 911 agencies.
Degase said that in addition to the fatal gunshot wound to the head, Taylor had various stab wounds on this body, but none of those wounds was considered to be fatal.
The sheriff said it has been confirmed that the meeting of Taylor and the two women at the roadside park was planned, but it is not known if the murder was planned or if an altercation led to the killing.
The two women are charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. The robbery charges stem from the theft of the victim’s cell phone and a $100 bill taken from him after the murder.
Degase said the two could also face charges in Arkansas for tampering with evidence because they attempted to burn the cell phone and items of clothing at their Mtn. Home residence.
Although they were never married, Taylor and Quick had children together, Degase said. Custody of the children seems to have been the motive for the murder, he said.
The two women were arrested at their residence in Mtn. Home following the execution of a search warrant there. During an interview, both suspects confessed to the murder, Degase said.
