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Larry Neeley
An Innocent Man With A Very Sad Story To Tell
An Innocent Man With A Very Sad Story To Tell
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My name is Larry D. Neeley. I am fifty seven years old. In August of 1971 I enlisted in the Armed Forces (army), and was Honorably Discharged August 1974. I met my first wife Sally in 1976 and we were married in 1978. On April 4, 1978 I began working at the Ford Motor Company in Claycomo Missouri. During mine and Sally’s marriage we had two sons; Kenny and Charles Dean, Sally had a three year old son, John L Ruppard by her first marriage. In November 1980 I was involved in a bad motorcycle accident; which in November 1983, after several operations, resulted in the amputation of my right foot.
In April 1984, wearing a prosthesis right foot, I returned back to work at Ford. In 1992 or 93 Sally and I obtained a no fault divorce. I continued working at Ford and in 1995 I was given full custody of our two sons Kenny and Charles Dean. My intentions were to work at Ford until I could retire; however, due to events in 1998 (which due to page limitations will be briefly described below), I worked there a total of 21 ½ years prior to my being arrested in 1999.
In October of 1996, while visiting Mel Finley, a retired Ford co-worker friend of mine, and his girlfriend Donna, who had worked briefly at Ford, I met Holly Stafford. Holly had become acquainted with Mel’s girlfriend Donna while both were incarcerated at the Clay County, Missouri jail. Mel told me Holly had no place to go, so he and Donna invited her to stay with them. Mel said Holly had been living with them about a month. A couple of weeks after meeting her at Mel’s I received a phone call from Holly. She said she was at Mel’s and had gotten my phone number out of his phone book. She said they had gotten into a big fight, she was afraid, and all she needed was a ride so she could get out of there. Remembering when I met her at Mel’s she’d told me she had a boyfriend, I told her she could call him to come pick her up. She said he wasn’t home. She sounded very excited and desperate to leave Mel’s. I went and got her and took her to my house. Shortly after arriving she tried calling her boyfriend Kelly Sizemore. After several calls she (said) she reached him. After a minute or so she hung-up saying they’d gotten into a big argument and she began crying, telling me how everyone in her life had turned against her and done all these bad things to her and she had no place to go. I listened to her story, believing it all to be true. Having compassion and feeling sorry for her I told her I had to go to work and my youngest son (16) Charles Dean had to go to school; but if she wanted, she was welcome to stay with me and my son until she could figure out what she wanted to do.
Holly took up the role of cooking for us, cleaning, doing our laundry etc. My son and I thought this was great. About a month after letting her move in she said she’d given up on her boyfriend, family and friends and wanted to make a new start in life with me. She had been treating me and my son well and doing things to make it better around the house, so we decided to have a go at a relationship. A first it was very good, she treated me and my son well and was good at helping us with anything and everything, whether it was work, school etc. I found out later her kindness and caring was all a clever act in order to disguise her true character and disposition. January 1997 I had to have another operation on my leg to have a bone spur removed. On January 20, 1997 I was told Holly physically attacked my eldest son Kenny. July 5, 1997 Holly and I were married. BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF BUT A FEW ATTACKS: On February 16, 1997 (for the first time of which there would be many), Holly, in a drunken unprovoked rage, physically attacked me because me and my youngest son Charles Dean wanted to go to my parents house to celebrate my step-father’s thirty year retirement from Ford. While at my parents’ house she called, cursing my mom over the phone. On December 5, 1997 she attacked me again. When I told my youngest son we were leaving she took my vehicle keys and said I wasn’t going anywhere. The police were called - this was the first time they had been to my residence since I’d moved there in April of 1994. When they arrived they saw, and heard her ranting and raving and tried to calm her down, but she refused. They ran a check on the both of us. They also asked me about a bump on my head I’d received a few days earlier when Holly had attacked me with a portable cell-phone while I was sleeping. Holly gave them a fake SS#. When I went to the police station to fill out the report of her attack I gave them her correct SS#. When they ran it through the computer I found out she had four warrants for her arrest. They arrested her. The next day she called me from jail crying, telling me how sorry she was for attacking me. I hung up. Four days later she called again, wanting me to come and bond her out. When I picked her up she was a total wreck and shaking uncontrollably. Once we got home and she drank a couple of quick vodkas her shakes subsided somewhat and she became all nice and proper again. That was when I discovered she was an acute alcoholic, and had been before I met her. Afterwards her and I talked about her violent behaviour towards me. She said she was drunk and didn’t know why she did what she did, was sorry, just wanted to take care of the four warrants, straighten up and be happy. I found out later she hired an attorney and was eventually placed on house arrest wearing an ankle bracelet for thirty days, and also given one year probation, which she violated several times thereafter, but was never held accountable. In February 1998 I was ordered to court and given a year on probation for Holly’s assault, on me, December 5, 1997! March 8, 1998 she physically attacked me and my son. My son and I left and went to some friends of mine. She repeatedly called their house cursing them out because I refused to talk with her over the phone. On March 28, 1998 she physically attacked me and my youngest son again. He and I left and went to some friends of mine. It needs to be noted all of her attacks upon me and my son were unprovoked and occurred when she was drunk.
On April 7, 1998 she was pulled over and given a total of three tickets for speeding, driving while her license was revoked, and D.U.I.. She forged my name on a personal check to bond herself out of jail. On April 8, 1998, when I got home from work she started cursing and verbally abusing me and my son. He and I left and went to the Lake of the Ozarks with Larry Oliphant, a friend of mine who worked at Ford. On April 18, 1998, while I was sleeping she took my truck. I was awakened by a phone call from a doctor at a hospital in Liberty, Missouri, informing me Holly and my youngest son had been in an accident. Upon arriving at the hospital a police officer told me she was drunk when the wreck occurred and that Holly had attempted deceiving him by giving her last name as Stafford. On April 19, 1998, again in a drunken stupor, she attacked me over questioning her about the accident. My son and I left. On May 2, 1998 she was pulled over again in Claycomo county and issued a ticket for D.U.I., and driving while her license was revoked. These incidents are matters of public record and easily verified through police, hospital, and other reports. There were numerous other lies, tickets for speeding, driving while her license was revoked, D.U.I.’s, forging my name on personal checks to bond herself out of jail, verbal abuse of me and my youngest son, and drunken unprovoked physical attacks, all of which are too numerous to mention, or describe at this time, due to the number of pages I’m allocated. However, if after reading this anyone may be interested in helping me but needs more information, please contact me at the address listed below and I will forward the complete story and events in detail.
On May 17, 1998 Holly and I went fishing. As usual Holly drank too much and wound up drunk. When we returned home she clawed the right side of my neck with her fingernails drawing blood. Not wanting to go through this I left. When I returned she was in a worse condition than when I’d left. I was in the living room on the edge of the couch putting on my prosthesis; she came in and kicked me with a full force kick in my testicles. In excruciating pain I stumbled to the bedroom and Holly, still yelling and cursing, went to the other end of the house. Shortly thereafter, and while trying to recover from the pain of her kicking me in the testicles, she came into the bedroom and attacked me again. I defended myself by striking her back with my fists. In the early hours of May 19, 1998 I was awakened by Holly chocking and throwing-up. Realizing she’d stopped breathing I immediately called 911. The ambulance arrived followed by the police. I was taken to the police station, questioned for about six hours and then released. I was never questioned again. Holly passed away. I was totally devastated as although she treated me, at times, like I meant nothing to her, I always thought her violent behaviour and physical attacks perpetrated upon me were because of her drinking and low self-esteem. When she realized I loved her she would eventually change. To try and deal with the grief over the loss of Holly I sought and obtained help from two counsellors. On September 15, 1999, 16 months after Holly’s death, I was indicted for second degree murder. On September 16, 1999, I was arrested. The State accused me of knowingly and intentionally causing Holly’s death on May 17, 1998. I didn’t then, nor do I now, understand how the State could charge me with such an offense when they knew I was only trying to defend myself from Holly’s continuous and unprovoked attacks on me that day. I’m willing to take the blame for my actions but I did not intend to murder my wife that day.
On September 20, 1999 I was appointed a Public Defender and entered a plea of not guilty. My bond was set at $500,000. After 14 months of the Public Defender, seemingly doing nothing on my behalf, my mom retained attorney Jon M. Krebbs to represent me. The first time he visited me at the jail I supplied him with a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of people I wanted him to contact and talk with who would be witnesses and willing to testify on my behalf regarding Holly’s violent behaviour towards me and my two sons; also other male persons she had previous relationships with prior to my knowing her as some would testify she had also cursed and threatened them at various times. Mr Krebbs never contacted or interviewed any of them, including my two sons, not even my youngest son Charles Dean, who was present during each of Holly’s attacks upon me and was also physically attacked himself by her. My trial was conducted on January 22-24 2001. Mr Krebbs presented no witnesses or evidence in which, I now know, could have possibly mitigated the charge of second degree murder to a lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter or even manslaughter. As stated above I did not, during the course of trying to defend myself from Holly kicking me in the testicles again, and her continuous attacks upon me May 17, 1998, have any thoughts or intentions of murdering her. Never. I was only trying to protect myself. On January 24, 2001 the jury returned a verdict of second degree murder, and thereafter the court sentenced me to life imprisonment for my wife’s death. As stated above, if anyone reading this may be interested in helping me but needs more information please write me at the address below.
Thank you in advance for your time and kind considerations
Larry D Neeley
#13920, H.U. 4D-170
Crossroads Correctional Center
1115 E Pence Road
Cameron
MO 64429
U.S.A.
In October of 1996, while visiting Mel Finley, a retired Ford co-worker friend of mine, and his girlfriend Donna, who had worked briefly at Ford, I met Holly Stafford. Holly had become acquainted with Mel’s girlfriend Donna while both were incarcerated at the Clay County, Missouri jail. Mel told me Holly had no place to go, so he and Donna invited her to stay with them. Mel said Holly had been living with them about a month. A couple of weeks after meeting her at Mel’s I received a phone call from Holly. She said she was at Mel’s and had gotten my phone number out of his phone book. She said they had gotten into a big fight, she was afraid, and all she needed was a ride so she could get out of there. Remembering when I met her at Mel’s she’d told me she had a boyfriend, I told her she could call him to come pick her up. She said he wasn’t home. She sounded very excited and desperate to leave Mel’s. I went and got her and took her to my house. Shortly after arriving she tried calling her boyfriend Kelly Sizemore. After several calls she (said) she reached him. After a minute or so she hung-up saying they’d gotten into a big argument and she began crying, telling me how everyone in her life had turned against her and done all these bad things to her and she had no place to go. I listened to her story, believing it all to be true. Having compassion and feeling sorry for her I told her I had to go to work and my youngest son (16) Charles Dean had to go to school; but if she wanted, she was welcome to stay with me and my son until she could figure out what she wanted to do.
Holly took up the role of cooking for us, cleaning, doing our laundry etc. My son and I thought this was great. About a month after letting her move in she said she’d given up on her boyfriend, family and friends and wanted to make a new start in life with me. She had been treating me and my son well and doing things to make it better around the house, so we decided to have a go at a relationship. A first it was very good, she treated me and my son well and was good at helping us with anything and everything, whether it was work, school etc. I found out later her kindness and caring was all a clever act in order to disguise her true character and disposition. January 1997 I had to have another operation on my leg to have a bone spur removed. On January 20, 1997 I was told Holly physically attacked my eldest son Kenny. July 5, 1997 Holly and I were married. BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF BUT A FEW ATTACKS: On February 16, 1997 (for the first time of which there would be many), Holly, in a drunken unprovoked rage, physically attacked me because me and my youngest son Charles Dean wanted to go to my parents house to celebrate my step-father’s thirty year retirement from Ford. While at my parents’ house she called, cursing my mom over the phone. On December 5, 1997 she attacked me again. When I told my youngest son we were leaving she took my vehicle keys and said I wasn’t going anywhere. The police were called - this was the first time they had been to my residence since I’d moved there in April of 1994. When they arrived they saw, and heard her ranting and raving and tried to calm her down, but she refused. They ran a check on the both of us. They also asked me about a bump on my head I’d received a few days earlier when Holly had attacked me with a portable cell-phone while I was sleeping. Holly gave them a fake SS#. When I went to the police station to fill out the report of her attack I gave them her correct SS#. When they ran it through the computer I found out she had four warrants for her arrest. They arrested her. The next day she called me from jail crying, telling me how sorry she was for attacking me. I hung up. Four days later she called again, wanting me to come and bond her out. When I picked her up she was a total wreck and shaking uncontrollably. Once we got home and she drank a couple of quick vodkas her shakes subsided somewhat and she became all nice and proper again. That was when I discovered she was an acute alcoholic, and had been before I met her. Afterwards her and I talked about her violent behaviour towards me. She said she was drunk and didn’t know why she did what she did, was sorry, just wanted to take care of the four warrants, straighten up and be happy. I found out later she hired an attorney and was eventually placed on house arrest wearing an ankle bracelet for thirty days, and also given one year probation, which she violated several times thereafter, but was never held accountable. In February 1998 I was ordered to court and given a year on probation for Holly’s assault, on me, December 5, 1997! March 8, 1998 she physically attacked me and my son. My son and I left and went to some friends of mine. She repeatedly called their house cursing them out because I refused to talk with her over the phone. On March 28, 1998 she physically attacked me and my youngest son again. He and I left and went to some friends of mine. It needs to be noted all of her attacks upon me and my son were unprovoked and occurred when she was drunk.
On April 7, 1998 she was pulled over and given a total of three tickets for speeding, driving while her license was revoked, and D.U.I.. She forged my name on a personal check to bond herself out of jail. On April 8, 1998, when I got home from work she started cursing and verbally abusing me and my son. He and I left and went to the Lake of the Ozarks with Larry Oliphant, a friend of mine who worked at Ford. On April 18, 1998, while I was sleeping she took my truck. I was awakened by a phone call from a doctor at a hospital in Liberty, Missouri, informing me Holly and my youngest son had been in an accident. Upon arriving at the hospital a police officer told me she was drunk when the wreck occurred and that Holly had attempted deceiving him by giving her last name as Stafford. On April 19, 1998, again in a drunken stupor, she attacked me over questioning her about the accident. My son and I left. On May 2, 1998 she was pulled over again in Claycomo county and issued a ticket for D.U.I., and driving while her license was revoked. These incidents are matters of public record and easily verified through police, hospital, and other reports. There were numerous other lies, tickets for speeding, driving while her license was revoked, D.U.I.’s, forging my name on personal checks to bond herself out of jail, verbal abuse of me and my youngest son, and drunken unprovoked physical attacks, all of which are too numerous to mention, or describe at this time, due to the number of pages I’m allocated. However, if after reading this anyone may be interested in helping me but needs more information, please contact me at the address listed below and I will forward the complete story and events in detail.
On May 17, 1998 Holly and I went fishing. As usual Holly drank too much and wound up drunk. When we returned home she clawed the right side of my neck with her fingernails drawing blood. Not wanting to go through this I left. When I returned she was in a worse condition than when I’d left. I was in the living room on the edge of the couch putting on my prosthesis; she came in and kicked me with a full force kick in my testicles. In excruciating pain I stumbled to the bedroom and Holly, still yelling and cursing, went to the other end of the house. Shortly thereafter, and while trying to recover from the pain of her kicking me in the testicles, she came into the bedroom and attacked me again. I defended myself by striking her back with my fists. In the early hours of May 19, 1998 I was awakened by Holly chocking and throwing-up. Realizing she’d stopped breathing I immediately called 911. The ambulance arrived followed by the police. I was taken to the police station, questioned for about six hours and then released. I was never questioned again. Holly passed away. I was totally devastated as although she treated me, at times, like I meant nothing to her, I always thought her violent behaviour and physical attacks perpetrated upon me were because of her drinking and low self-esteem. When she realized I loved her she would eventually change. To try and deal with the grief over the loss of Holly I sought and obtained help from two counsellors. On September 15, 1999, 16 months after Holly’s death, I was indicted for second degree murder. On September 16, 1999, I was arrested. The State accused me of knowingly and intentionally causing Holly’s death on May 17, 1998. I didn’t then, nor do I now, understand how the State could charge me with such an offense when they knew I was only trying to defend myself from Holly’s continuous and unprovoked attacks on me that day. I’m willing to take the blame for my actions but I did not intend to murder my wife that day.
On September 20, 1999 I was appointed a Public Defender and entered a plea of not guilty. My bond was set at $500,000. After 14 months of the Public Defender, seemingly doing nothing on my behalf, my mom retained attorney Jon M. Krebbs to represent me. The first time he visited me at the jail I supplied him with a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of people I wanted him to contact and talk with who would be witnesses and willing to testify on my behalf regarding Holly’s violent behaviour towards me and my two sons; also other male persons she had previous relationships with prior to my knowing her as some would testify she had also cursed and threatened them at various times. Mr Krebbs never contacted or interviewed any of them, including my two sons, not even my youngest son Charles Dean, who was present during each of Holly’s attacks upon me and was also physically attacked himself by her. My trial was conducted on January 22-24 2001. Mr Krebbs presented no witnesses or evidence in which, I now know, could have possibly mitigated the charge of second degree murder to a lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter or even manslaughter. As stated above I did not, during the course of trying to defend myself from Holly kicking me in the testicles again, and her continuous attacks upon me May 17, 1998, have any thoughts or intentions of murdering her. Never. I was only trying to protect myself. On January 24, 2001 the jury returned a verdict of second degree murder, and thereafter the court sentenced me to life imprisonment for my wife’s death. As stated above, if anyone reading this may be interested in helping me but needs more information please write me at the address below.
Thank you in advance for your time and kind considerations
Larry D Neeley
#13920, H.U. 4D-170
Crossroads Correctional Center
1115 E Pence Road
Cameron
MO 64429
U.S.A.