Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Terry Joe "T.J." Volner Sentenced to LWOP in 2013 MO Slaying of Inmate Jose Benitez

  1. #1
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217

    Terry Joe "T.J." Volner Sentenced to LWOP in 2013 MO Slaying of Inmate Jose Benitez




    Suspect charged for slitting throat of four-year-old child in the Ozarks

    The gruesome killing of a little boy in Wright County led authorities to charge a 22-year-old Hartville man with first-degree murder in what could foreshadow a death-penalty case, reports News Channel KY3.

    According to the report, authorities allege that Terry Joe "T.J." Volner slit the throat of a four-year-old boy, whom he babysat, dumped the body into a sewage lagoon, then sent a text message containing the photo of the corpse to his own mother.

    The victim, Dusty Guenther, was found Wednesday morning in an ice-covered lagoon near his home, apparently with a wet stick propping up his chin.

    No motive is known.

    Volner was picked up with a stab wound to his own stomach, possibly self-inflicted. Sgt. Casey Jadwin with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said that Volner confessed to him that he'd killed the child by stabbing him in the neck with a folding-knife.

    In addition to the murder charge, Volner faces charges of armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse. He's being held in jail on a $1 million bond.

    Volner went to state prison for a three-year sentence in May 2008 after pleading guilty to charges of stealing animals, burglary, stealing a motor vehicle and knowingly burning, KY3 reports.

    Another thing: Volner is apparently is related to an entire brood of mountain murderers, conjuring images of Wild West outlaw clans. According to KY3:

    "[Sgt. Glenn] Adler says Volner is related -- but he's not sure how -- to four other people who were charged and later convicted of a murder in 2008. Those are Benny Volner; Benny's brother, Elvis Volner; their cousin, Dennis Volner; and Dennis Volner's wife, Julia. They ambushed and beat Dustin Skaggs, a cousin of the Volners, in Douglas County and dumped him in his car in a rock quarry in Laclede County. Investigators learned Benny Volner thought Skaggs was having an affair with his wife, so he enlisted the help of others to kill him."

    http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dai...der_wright.php

  2. #2
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Murder suspect was jealous, prosecutor says

    Terry Volner needed a place to stay, and Gina Guenther needed some help with baby-sitting.

    So Guenther let Volner into her Wright County home, authorities said.

    One night earlier this week, Guenther's boyfriend also stayed overnight.

    The next day, the body of one of Guenther's children, 4-year-old Dusty, was found submerged in a small, ice-covered lagoon.

    "He did this to the child to get at the mother," said Wright County Prosecutor Jason MacPherson .

    Volner, 22, was "jealously enraged" over the boyfriend's visit when he allegedly stabbed the boy in the neck, MacPherson said.

    MacPherson said Volner also allegedly planned to kill Gina Guenther, her boyfriend and the other three children.

    MacPherson said Dusty was left in the small lagoon, also described as a cesspool in documents, behind Guenther's house at Jerktail in northern Wright County. Other family members were accounted for.

    He said: "They are all safe."

    Volner, of Hartville, was charged Thursday with the murder of Dusty Guenther, who turned 4 on Dec. 1.

    A probable cause statement said Volner told a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper that he used a folding knife to stab the boy in the neck.

    Investigators found that Volner had used a cellphone to call his mother and to claim he had killed a woman, her boyfriend and four children.

    When Volner's mother received a photo of the slain boy, she called 911, MacPherson said.

    Investigators later viewed the photos and noted an adult's left arm was in front of the camera while, in the background, the 4-year-old lay in tall grass with a laceration to his throat.

    On the forearm, the name "Volner" was tattooed in cursive writing, according to the documents.

    When authorities arrived at the home off Highway Z in Hartville, Volner was found with what is believed to be a self-inflicted stab wound to the stomach, MacPherson said.

    Although the details are sketchy, MacPherson believes Volner was jealous of Gina Guenther's boyfriend.

    Mac- Pherson said it isn't clear if Volner and Guenther were romantically involved, but Volner had been staying at the home and baby-sitting her four children.

    "He was watching the kids in exchange for a place to stay," MacPherson said.

    Noting that Guenther's boyfriend apparently stayed overnight shortly before the killing occurred, MacPherson said: "The motive appears to be revenge."

    MacPherson said Volner was treated for the stomach wound and is being held in the Wright County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bond.

    Volner is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse. If convicted, Volner could face the death penalty.

    Volner, who is being represented by a public defender, is next scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

    Wright County authorities say they believe Terry Volner has family ties to a group that was charged with an unrelated 2008 murder.

    The exact relationship was not clear Friday, but authorities believe Terry Volner is a close relative to several other Volners charged in the earlier crime.

    Elvis Volner, 23, of Cabool was sentenced to life without parole in August 2010 for his part in the February 2008 slaying of Dustin Skaggs, 20.

    Along with the sentence for first-degree murder, Elvis Volner also was convicted of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

    Skaggs' body was found in the trunk of a car in a water-filled quarry near Lebanon.

    Elvis Volner was one of four people charged in the ambushing of Skaggs. Also charged was Benny Volner of Mountain Grove, who was 30, and two other family members.

    Authorities believe the group committed the crime because Skaggs had been dating Benny Volner's estranged wife, Crystal.

    Benny Volner was convicted in March 2010.

    http://www.news-leader.com/article/2...murder-revenge

  3. #3
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Accused Child Killer Makes Court Appearance In Wright County

    The Wright County prosecutor says his gut feeling is this is a death penalty case, and he thinks the public will agree.

    Terry Volner is charged with stabbing a little boy in the throat a week ago, then dumping the body in a cesspool near the victim's home.

    Dusty Guenther was four-years-old. His funeral was held Tuesday,

    Volner will be in court at Hartville next on February 27th for a preliminary hearing and at that time a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to put him on trial.

    Authorities say Volner confessed in detail about how he murdered the boy he was supposed to be babysitting.

    The prosecutor also says Volner sent cell phone pictures of the child's body to his mother, and at least one other person.

    Letters found at the house indicate Volner was jealous that Dusty's mom had a boyfriend who stayed the night just before the killing.

    http://www.ktts.com/news/135627163.html

  4. #4
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Family Of Murdered Wright County Boy Gets Justice

    A guilty plea in Wright County from a man accused of killing a little boy he was babysitting.

    Terry Volner admitted to slashing Dusty Guenther's throat in December 2011, then throwing the 4-year-old's body in a pond.

    He'd been babysitting Dusty while the boy's mom was out. Investigators say Volner had romantic feelings for the woman, which he expressed in letters found in the home after the murder.

    He's been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

    http://www.ktts.com/news/171879871.html
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  5. #5
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    State will seek death penalty in inmate's death

    Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against a Cole County inmate accused of killing another inmate.

    Assistant Attorney General Kevin Zoellner said Wednesday 24-year-old Terry J. Volner will face a possible death penalty if he is convicted of killing 67-year-old Jose Benitez in July while they were cellmates at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

    The Jefferson City News Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/GN41CH) no details of the attack were released in grand jury's indictment this week, or in previous reports about the case.

    Benitez was serving a 25-year sentence for a first-degree statutory sodomy from Jasper County.

    Volner, originally from Hartville, was serving a life sentence without parole for the 2011 murder of 4-year-old Dusty Guenther. Volner slit the boy's throat and dumped his body in a sewage lagoon.

    http://www.newstribune.com
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  6. #6
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    13,014
    March 25, 2015

    Prosecutors want death penalty for inmate accused of killing cellmate

    COLE CO., Mo. - A Missouri inmate charged with killing his cellmate had a hearing Wednesday.

    Terry Volner appeared by video in Cole County Court Wednesday afternoon.

    Prosecutors said he killed his cellmate, Jose Benitez, by hitting him.

    The judge ruled that the state can obtain DNA from Volner

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

    Volner was already serving a life sentence for a previous murder conviction.

    Volner's trial is set for April 2016.

    http://www.abc17news.com/news/inmate...court/32010106

  7. #7
    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    4,795
    Missouri Inmate Given Life Sentence for Prison Murder

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An inmate in central Missouri has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to a fellow inmate's death.

    The News Tribune reports that 29-year-old Terry Volner pleaded guilty on Wednesday to first-degree murder for fatally striking 67-year-old Jose Benitez in 2013. Volner is currently an inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

    The plea was based on an agreement with prosecutors who originally wanted to seek the death penalty in the case.

    Prosecutors said in court documents that Volner committed the killing "for the purpose of receiving money or any other thing of monetary value from the victim."

    Volner was already serving a life sentence without parole for killing a child in 2011.

    Public defender Tom Jacquinot tells The Associated Press the ruling is a "just resolution" under the circumstances.

    https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...-prison-murder

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •