Additional investigation further incriminated Delay, who was already wanted on a couple of other warrants, and it revealed his sidekicks to be 21-year-old Lloyd Dwaine Cowin and 22-year-old Jerry Rector. The villains then likely drove the family or forced the family to drive to the scene where they were later found dead, and the wife and daughter were held captive there while Kitterman was sent into town to get the cash.Ī breakthrough in the investigation came a couple of days later when police received an anonymous phone call from a man who said he'd seen 33-year-old ex-con Dallas Ray Delay set off a small explosive device in a Popular Bluff garage a few days before the Grandin crime and brag that he was going to use it to rob a bank. Investigators theorized that the abduction happened at the Kitterman home just a mile or so south of Grandin when both Kitterman and his daughter, a high school senior, came home for lunch. The only other clue to the identity of the murderers was the fact that, while at the bank, Kitterman had referred to the abductors as "they," leading lawmen to believe that there was more than one perpetrator. A bullet believed to have passed through the daughter's body, a couple of spent cartridges, and a tire track were the only forensic clues found at the scene. And investigators doubted the idea that Kitterman had been rigged with dynamite so that it could be set off remotely via a radio signal, but that was apparently what Kitterman had believed. Although Kitterman's body was rigged with wire, no dynamite was found. All three bodies were bound, and each had been shot once in the head at close range with a small-caliber weapon. Nearby were the dead bodies of Kitterman his wife, Bertha and the 17-year-old daughter, Roberta. After Kingen and others alerted authorities, lawmen tried to intercept Kitterman before he once again made contact with the kidnappers but to no avail.Ībout 2 30 p.m., just over an hour after Kitterman had walked into the bank, his car and his 17-year-old daughter's car were both spotted in a secluded area near an abandoned farm a few miles south of Grandin just across the county line in northern Ripley County. Kingen, superintendent of the nearby Elsinore Schools, and told him the same thing he'd told Stanley-that his wife and daughter were being held by extortionists. As Kitterman was leaving the bank with the ransom money, he met L. Stanley helped Kitterman gather up over $10,000 and place it in a money satchel. He could tell that something was likely under the shirt, and he could also tell that Kitterman was nervous. Stanley did not see any dynamite, but he noticed that Kitterman's shirt seemed tighter than usual. Kitterman explained that his wife and daughter were being held for ransom by kidnappers and that the villains had rigged the dynamite to his chest. on Wednesday, January 17, 1973, Robert Kitterman walked into the Bank of Grandin (MO), where he was president, and told Ralph Stanley, the bank's bookkeeper, that he had dynamite wired to his chest and not to turn on any lights or electric switches or make any phone calls because they might trigger an explosion. He pulled the bodies to the side and hid them until dark, then he had help moving them.About 1:15 p.m. He said, "Kenneth was shot first, and he kept on till he got them all. Larry Sneed, retired county detective who worked on the case for years, said he believes the killings occurred when the trio confronted Casteel. We got him."Įmma Griffith, mother of Kenneth Griffith, said, "Justice has been done finally." He added, "I am very pleased with the way the attorney general and (special prosecutor) Lee Davis handled the case and thankful for the way the jury reacted. We don't have to worry about this ever again." I am going to go on with enjoying my grandchildren and raising my children. Lee Griffith, brother of Kenneth Griffith, said, "We finally can put this behind us and get on with our lives. Paula Mason Griffith Kirby, daughter of Richard Mason and widow of Kenneth Griffith, said, "I feel the same as last time - just glad it's over with." She was handed by District Attorney Bill Cox the photo of her slain husband that was shown to the jury. His wife, Suzie, and sons, Trevor and Donnie, left the courtroom as soon as the first guilty verdict was announced.įamily members of the victims said they were glad the long case "is finally over."
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