Ray Donahue was killed on January 6, 1990, in Clinton, Missouri, during what began as an ordinary stop that turned into an execution. That evening Donahue was drinking at the home of Frank Merrifield when Merrifield showed a pearl‑handled .22 pistol to Robert Wesley Knighton, who had been traveling with two younger companions, Renee Williams and Lawrence Brittain, after fleeing Kansas City in a stolen van.

Knighton fired once into the back of Donahue’s head, killing him, and then shot Merrifield before the three fled, taking money and two pistols including the .22 used in the killings. The trio continued south through Oklahoma, and their travel and behavior later drew attention in Canadian, Texas, where a traffic stop produced the weapons and led to the discovery of additional victims connected to the same spree.

Did anyone in Clinton at the time see the van, the three travelers, or remember the evening at Merrifield’s house?