In early January 1990, Roy Eddie Donahue, 40, was visiting his stepfather Frankie Thomas Merrifield’s home near Montrose and Clinton, Missouri, when three visitors from Kansas City arrived: Robert Wesley Knighton, 48; Knighton’s 20-year-old girlfriend Ruth Renee Williams; and 17-year-old Lawrence Lingle Brittain. Knighton allegedly shot Roy in the back of the head and then shot Merrifield fatally. The three then ransacked the house, taking the .22 used in the killings, a .38 revolver, a rifle, and some cash, and fled in a stolen van.

The group reportedly drove into Oklahoma and two days later murdered an elderly couple near Tonkawa, then were arrested in Canadian, Texas, found with the stolen items and vehicle. Brittain later pleaded guilty and received two concurrent life terms; Williams pleaded guilty as an accessory after the fact and received concurrent 15-year terms; Knighton was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Does anyone have memories or information about Roy Donahue, his life in the Montrose/Clinton area, or contacts who might help clarify what happened that January?