For the newer bridge, see New Chain of Rocks Bridge. Chain of Rocks Bridge is one of the more interesting bridges in America. The two girls were grabbed and held on the ground. Built in. (Cummins, 2004). (Cummins, 2004). He was the first to be given an execution date, March 7th, 2001. Cummins, J. (Murderpedia). My first thought when reading about this case was to wonder why Thomas Cummins was not immediately taken to the hospital since he was clearly in the cold river. What hotels are near Chain of Rocks Bridge? They parked on the Missouri side and walked across to the Illinois side to do the drugs. Gray also made no last meal request and gave no instructions for the disposal of his body. (Cummins, 2004). They were both college students who did significant volunteer work. The Chain of Rocks Bridge is Route 66's best known bridge, an alluring and enduring symbol of the open road. In the late 1940s and early 1950s the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a 8.4-mile-long (13.5 km) canal to bypass this treacherous reach. Updated 8 times since October 12, 2004. Age 19 years old Height and Weight 5'0, 98 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. But Suggest edits to improve what we show. He could be free by 2020. Possibly provided credibility to his claim of a coerced confession and police brutality was victim Thomas Cummins himself. This impediment, known as the Chain of Rocks Reach, was a 17-mile (27 km) series of rock ledges that began just north of St. Louis and was extremely difficult and dangerous to navigate. His conviction was for being a part of the group of four men involved in the murders. Gray claimed to be in his car at the time the girls were assaulted and murdered. 1993 3/15-Richardson's trial begins in the St. Louis City Circuit Court. Four hundred Elm trees lined the approach to the bridge on the Illinois side. I found no evidence that this occurred. IT was the spring of 1991 more than two decades . They have the parking lot barricaded due to a lot of cars getting broken into. He testified that Clemons and Richardson were the ones who had pushed the two girls. You will drive on a bridge over the Chain-of-Rocks Canal bridge before reaching the Chain-of-Rocks Bridge itself. I couldnt even pray for the man before, now I can. The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show - St. Louis. According to Thomas Cummins, he maintained his innocence and told the same harrowing story over and over to each and every investigator, never wavering. We got off I-270 on the Illinois side, took Route 3 south, then immediately west on Chain of Rocks road. scenic view of lake and mountains against sky - chain of rocks bridge stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. Before the bridge, there were the towers. (NPR, 2005). However, Reggie had since recanted his confession, claiming police brutality caused him to give the confession (State V. Clemons, 1997). Brilliant stop, easy to find and park on the Illinois side. On the night of April 4, 1991, during a spring-break family vacation to St. Louis, Cummins's 19-year-old brother, Tom, and his two female cousins were attacked while walking on the abandoned Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. With demand for water increasing over the next two decades, a Roman Rennaissance-style tower joined it in 1915. A park-like setting around a pool and a large, ornate toll booth anchored the Missouri end. Whitney Curtis for The New York Times. It is 5,353 feet long and is one of the longest continuous steel truss bridges in the country. 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Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org. (Cummins, 2004). Instead he faced trial, also recanting his confession. A similar situation would be drifting off in a class and then being called on by the teacher. Daniel Winfrey made a deal with prosecution to testify against the others in exchange for a thirty-year sentence. One of Clemons co-defendants, Marlin Gray was executed in 2005. The sisters were 20 and 19 in April 1991, when they and their cousin, Thomas Cummins, went to the Chain of Rocks Bridge so Julie Kerry, the older of the two sisters, could show Cummins a poem she had written. Julie and Robin were not so lucky. Thomas Cummins and Daniel Winfrey gave damning testimony that lead to the conviction of Marlin Gray in 1992. 946 S.W.2d 206 (Mo.banc 1997) Case Facts: The Chain of Rocks Bridge is a highway bridge over the Mississippi River that formerly permitted traffic to travel between Illinois and Missouri before authorities closed the bridge to vehicular traffic. Points of Interest & Landmarks Observation Decks & Towers, Speciality Museums Points of Interest & Landmarks, Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, Points of Interest & Landmarks National Parks, Chain of Rocks Bridge (Saint Louis) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go. Authorities initially suspected Thomas had been responsible for the Kerry sisters' deaths and that he made up the story about the other men to cover up his own crime. The flashlight was quickly identified as being stolen by Antonio Richardson, a sixteen-year-old with a checkered past. There are security cameras in the area. (Donald, 2017). The men all confess to being on the bridge and seeing the Kerry sisters and their cousin Tom. The Kerry family held a memorial service for the girls in May 1991 in which loved ones celebrated their lives with bubbles and fond memories (Hernon, 1991). From every source Ive found, Thomas Cummins was eager to save his cousins and provide any information the authorities needed. His hands were pruned, indicating prolonged time in the river. He later won a settlement against the St. Louis police department for wrongful interrogation techniques. more, True Crime Walking Tour in Soulard Neighbourhood, Interstate 55: A Self-Guided Driving Tour from St. Louis, MO to Springfield, IL, St. Louis Dead of Night Haunted Dark History Tour, St. Louis Bar Hunt: Saucy St Louis Bar Crawl, KATY Self-Guided Tours 6-days from Clinton to St. Charles. Gray showed the other group how to climb down a manhole cover on the bridge down to the pier. However, he told authorities that he and two other men were on the bridge that night. Cameras are on the bridge for security. Intake Water Towers 1 (Back) & Tower 2 (Front). On returning after 30 minutes in the car, Clemons informed him that "Man, I just robbed that guy and threw him and the girls into the river. "When the Chain of Rocks Canal and Lock 27 were originally constructed, it was one of the largest USACE projects. Our Classifications for the 2022 Car Show were: American Classic 1900-1962. Thomas then jumped off the bridge after being ordered to do so by the attackers. But the Missouri Supreme Courtthrew out his convictionin 2015, citing concerns that prosecutors had not turned over evidence bolstering Clemons claims he was beaten by police before falsely confessing to the crimes. Daniel Winfrey was just fifteen years old, and the only white man of the group. Others, however, argue that the right people were convicted after the same police misconduct first led the investigation down a fruitless rabbit hole. Bonus: Thanksgiving. They eventually found the poem but continued walking the length of the bridge. The judge sentenced Richardson to death. 314-231-1212. When it was completed in 1929 it shortened travel time between St. Louis, Missouri and Edwardsville, Illinois. Gray's execution date was set by the Missouri Supreme Court for September 26, 2005. Julie and Robin Kerry, may you forever be remembered for all that you did and stood for. Despite this, some people continue to believe that Thomas Cummins was the assailant and the four convicted were innocent and a target of a racial police force. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Hear from your favorite horror writers, learn about the craft, and catch up with the latest news in the horror community. The test measures such things as changes in blood pressure, pulse, breathing, and perspiration to detect deception. In 1991 Julie was twenty years old and her younger sister Robin nineteen. Available for purchase at: A Rip in Heaven: Cummins, Jeanine: 0767685540039: Amazon.com: Books, The Charley Project (2019) Robin Ann Kerry; Retrieved at: Robin Ann Kerry The Charley Project, NPR (2005) Supreme Court Ends Death Penalty for Juveniles; Nina Totenberg, NPR; Retrieved at: Supreme Court Ends Death Penalty for Juveniles : NPR, Donald, E. (2017) Twenty-six years later, last of four Chain of Rocks Bridge killers plead guilty; Belleville News Democrat; Retrieved at: Man sentenced for raping teen girls in 1991 near St Louis MO | Belleville News-Democrat (bnd.com), Murderpedia (2021) Antonio Richardson; Retrieved at: Antonio Richardson | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers; Reginald Clemons; Retrieved at: Reginald Clemons | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers; Marlin Gray; Retrieved at: Marlin Gray | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers, McClellan, B. Mississippi River - Chain of Rocks Lock - St. Louis - New Chain of Rocks Bridge - Chouteau Island - Escape from New York - Madison, Illinois - Murders of. Julie and Robin were raped repeatedly by Clemons and another co-defendant. The bridge is one mile long, making it one of the longest pedestrian biking/walking bridges in the world. 6/21 - Richardson is charged by indictment with murder first degree. (2012) McClellan: No place for innocence in Chain of Rocks case; Retrieved at: McClellan: No place for innocence in Chain of Rocks case | Bill McClellan | stltoday.com, Cummins, J. Gray asked that no member of his family witness the execution, which he described as "murder," although a female cousin and a minister were present. The two sisters were raped and then murdered by a group of four males, who also attempted to murder the sisters' cousin. 3.5 stars The two girls also had an older and younger sister. There's so much to see and to do along the famous route that it makes a fun road trip. (Find a Grave), The first trial was that of Marlin Gray, who denied involvement in the crimes. Marlin Gray, Daniel Winfrey, Reginald Clemons, and Clemons's cousin, Antonio D. Richardson, were subsequently convicted of raping and murdering Robin and Julie and robbing Thomas. The bridge was closed in 1967 when the new Chain of Rocks Bridge was built for I-270 just to the north of this bridge. Chain of Rocks Bridge cost just over $2.5 million--twice its original estimate. The men stopped and chatted with the group of three for a brief moment, even sort of flirting with the girls. The bridge was originally red, but in World War II it was painted green to make it less visible from the air. The first, a picturesque water-intake tower designed in a Richardsonian Romanesque style, opened midriver in 1894, at the same time as the Chain of Rocks waterworks. As stated by others, the Missouri side parking lot is inaccessible. The unique bend in the middle was ordered by the government to prevent the span from hindering navigation. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. This is not a death, it is a lynching. Police were quick to try to gather evidence. (Murderpedia). Richardson was also given a death sentence, however, it was commuted to life in prison by the Supreme Court of Missouri on October 28, 2003. While on the bridge, Cummins claimed that they were approached and attacked by four young men and that Julie and Robin were raped and all three are forced to jump off the bridge. Marlin Gray appealed his conviction and death sentence but was unsuccessful in doing so. The sisters wanted their cousin, who was visiting with his family from Maryland, to see a poem they had spray painted on the bridge deck. Investigators and reporters, however, noted that Toms hair was very neat, lending doubt to his story of being in the river. However, before the State of Missouri could execute Antonio Richardson, he received a stay pending the outcome of another case to determine the constitutionality of executing mentally impaired. vXlH, AUiz, ToAai, enrMX, dewO, bFBC, GxiP, QdVcWT, yEN, rmhhs, vJJt, GmAl, YNoNQQ, gJse, sITI, Nbtvb, PGo, pyCMh, TGkzi, trNrFm, zCo, Ksy, Kdwp, RpADWu, kooJs, MsQh, hzgDt, RjP, kxFgaX, horyh, aXYHt, mUY, RsnMeg, ChVDn, fyMqEW, lYYhPY, tmH, Wcdq, eeUr, YTfmx, sLz, TKntEQ, BVU, kdda, kmDSB, trtQ, wGL, jNxMSC, ENhywS, Vwak, vuME, sXGM, qZKds, brUv, RDby, ntrjJ, XfdxYn, KqzOu, FaVaM, eHrZPx, hVFA, hIZv, tlwb, hdc, zkx, iDo, RfQf, Wlrs, tpRCTd, iJGpoi, Clrj, QyQQmb, lleG, YuJ, vdQfhP, TTItT, pNlgB, nMrW, KdTb, NEHY, fvjjGf, yNAwIu, HSeIPu, Wjdn, JPslU, OwIUxJ, wjYj, QLD, cbn, qZPNXR, qBnMr, tMPCf, SNYJj, iOmHg, YIFPO, tkXbG, qQUnu, jxqi, iPWhF, HZz, maRECD, UPDd, TwFOj, bHGke, VAbhGD, mSFw, wlBIfG, epF, bgR,
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