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Missouri History Today

Missouri History Today December 18, 1953: Couple Executed For Ransom Scheme-Turned-Murder

by Missouri Life

Convicted criminals Carl Hall and Bonnie Heady are executed with lethal gas for the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Bobby Greenlease, according to an FBI history. The scheme unfolded after Hall and Heady orchestrated the events in exchange for a $600,000 ransom. Investigators located the boy’s body on Heady’s property in St. Joseph. This photo shows the changing of the guard at Jefferson City’s State Penitentiary, where Hall and Heady were executed.

Photo credit: John Vachon. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017810392/