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Daily Mirror
13-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Woman forced to dig her own grave escapes kidnap using friend's dead body
Nine people - one a 'war hero' - were sentenced for their parts in the kidnap of two friends who were made to dig their own graves and thrown down a well, with one shot dead A woman who was kidnapped and forced to dig her own grave has miraculously survived, but tragically her friend wasn't so lucky. Melissa Pugh and Sarah Pasco were sitting in a car on a street corner in Stotts City, Missouri, when Gary Hunter Jr approached them and asked to get in the vehicle. Once inside he pulled a gun on them and made them drive to the home of Christina Knapp, according to reports at the time. Knapp was one of the eight accomplices who would eventually face charges over the horrific crime on 16 August 2020. Terrifyingly, they were forced to start digging their own graves in Knapp's backyard. According to local KOLR 10, all nine suspects involved in the kidnapping plot travelled together in two separate cars to a wooded area in Miller, Missouri. Hunter then forced them to get into an abandoned well where he shot at them. Ms Pasco, who was 27, died instantly after being hit in the head by a bullet. Ms Pugh managed to survive further shots fired into the well by hiding under Ms Pasco's body and "playing dead" until the men left. She then climbed out of the well, ran for help and called 911. She was treated in hospital for gunshot wounds. Hunter admitted firing the weapon that killed Ms Pugh and his accomplices pleaded guilty. They were sentenced in 2022. However Steven "Chase" Calverley, 33, opted for a trial. He relied upon evidence given by Hunter, who claimed Calverley was not a 'willing accomplice' in the gruesome crime and had tried to talk him out of harming the women. However, in October last year Christian County Judge Laura Johnson said the testimony was not credible. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, kidnapping, assault, and four counts of armed criminal action. Calverley was sentenced to 40 years in prison, the same sentence given to Hunter. According to Springfield Daily Citizen, she told the court: "To me, it was clear what the plan was for these two women, that they were not coming out of that forest. Mr. Calverley was not the principal. He did not pull the trigger. He was there and he assisted." Calverley had been awarded the Purple Heart - a US military decoration given to service members who have been wounded or killed in action. He served with the Marines in Afghanistan, where he was deployed in 2011. He was injured when his vehicle was blown up by an IED, and he was credited with saving the lives of his fellow servicemen. His defense said he had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following his return to the US. They said this led to his "strange behavior" and the way he appeared to dissociate himself from what was happening around him, especially under police questioning. After his conviction Calverley read from a letter he wrote to the families of Pasco and Pugh. According to the Daily Citizen, he said: "I'm not asking you to forgive me. But I want you to know I am sorry. I'm sorry I was a coward and didn't try harder to stop him. I'm sorry I didn't call 911 and report it. I'm sorry I didn't try to put myself between him and you guys." At the time of sentencing, Ms Pugh testified against Calverley. She spoke via video link from prison, where she was on a parole violation, telling the jury she "forgave" him but didn't understand why he hadn't tried to help them. "I know God spared my life for a reason," she said. "But I don't understand why none of them tried to help us... Especially with Mr. Calverley being a war hero." Megan Pasco, Sarah Pasco's sister, furiously slammed Calverley for his role in the terrifying incident. She said: "There were nine of you and not one of you called 911. You are supposed to be a war hero. You should have been held to a higher standard."
International Business Times
11-07-2025
- International Business Times
Springfield Man Killed Transgender Woman Who Offered Sexual Favors in Exchange for Drugs
The Springfield man convicted of murdering a transgender woman four years ago was sentenced Thursday, July 10, to 30 years in prison. Charles Nelson, 32, was found guilty by a Greene County jury in March of second-degree murder and armed criminal action for fatally shooting Dominique Lucious on April 8, 2021. As reported by the Springfield Daily Citizen, Judge Kaiti Greenwade sentenced Nelson to 22 years for the second-degree murder charge and eight years for the armed criminal action charge. Those sentences must be served consecutively, and he will be given credit for time served in the Greene County Jail. Nelson Claimed He Shot Lucious Because He Feared for His Life but Prosecutors Called it a 'Point Blank Execution' During the trial, Nelson took the stand and testified he was in fear for his life when he fired his gun at Lucious that early spring morning. Prosecutors, however, called it a "point blank execution." Lucious was shot about five times, according to the medical examiner who testified at the trial. Two bullets went through her heart and lungs. Either of those shots would have been fatal, the medical examiner testified, and Lucious likely died very quickly. According to a probable cause statement, law enforcement officers were called to an apartment on North Main Avenue and found a person dead. The person had noticeable gunshot wounds. That same day, detectives interviewed someone living at the address who said Lucious stayed at the apartment overnight and in the morning said she was expecting someone to stop by the apartment. The resident said he went back to sleep but later awoke to the sound of gunshots. He reported seeing a man standing in the living room, noticing Lucious's body on the couch. He told authorities he grabbed his phone and took photos of the man's car as it drove away. According to detectives, surveillance video gathered from a nearby business shows a car identical to the vehicle in those photos heading east on Central Street, toward Main Avenue. Nelson, Lucious Met on a Dating App During a search of the apartment, investigators found what family confirmed to be Lucious' cell phone. During a search of the phone, investigators located text messages between Lucious and a number later linked to Nelson. Nelson and Lucious met and began communicating that morning via Plenty of Fish, a dating app. In what was described as a "flurry" of messages and photos exchanged, the two discussed Nelson bringing Lucious $20 worth of marijuana in exchange for a sex act. According to court documents, Lucious received sexually explicit photos from Nelson. In them, authorities say a unique pair of boxers can be seen. Nelson reportedly wore those same boxers during a search after he was taken into custody.
