A robbery attempt at an Interstate rest stop in Nebraska took a deadly turn on Wednesday the 19th. According to a Thursday report in the North Platte Post, 22 year-old James Thompson, Jr., who hails from Elyria, Ohio, has been named as the suspect in the case.
Hall Coutnty Sheriff’s Department Deputies were called to the scene in the early hours of Wednesday morning to answer reports of a disturbance at Rest Area 4148 on the westbound side of Interstate 80.
The department issued a press release online, which explains that when deputies arrived at the scene they found two victims who had been grievously wounded by man wielding a knife. Paramedics loaded both victims into an ambulance and took them to the Grand Island Regional Hospital. The male victim, a 72 year-old resident of Eureka, Missouri, expired from his wounds during transport and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The female victim, a 71 year-old who was also from Eureka, sustained life-threatening injuries but made it to the hospital before she died. She remains in critical condition at the Grand Island Regional Hospital at this time.
KSNB News reported on Thursday the 20th that the female victim, Mary Weaver, was found by deputies sitting on the ground outside an RV with blood covering her head.
According to officials, the suspect had absconded from the scene in a vehicle. The Nebraska State Patrol instituted a pursuit and apprehended him. He has been arrested and faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, assault, operating a motor vehicle in an attempt to avoid arrest, five count of committing a felony with a deadly weapon, and one count of first-degree murder.
Officials currently believe that the attack on the elderly couple began as an attempted robbery, but the case is still under investigation. The medical examiner has been ordered to perform an autopsy on the murder victim. The Sheriff’s department has assumed responsibility for notifying the deceased’s next of kin.
