HALL COUNTY, Neb. (TCN) — A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and other charges after he allegedly fatally stabbed a 72-year-old man and injured his 71-year-old wife at a rest stop.
According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Department, on Wednesday, June 19, deputies responded to a disturbance call at a rest area on Interstate 80. When they arrived, they found the two victims suffering from knife wounds. Medics transported them to a nearby hospital, where the man, Gary Weaver, died from his injuries. His wife, Mary Weaver, remains in critical condition.
The sheriff’s department said they believe the suspect, James Thompson Jr., attempted to rob the couple when he stabbed them. Thompson fled in a car following the incident and engaged in a pursuit with Nebraska State Patrol.
He was apprehended and arrested on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, robbery, two counts of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, attempted theft by unlawful taking, fleeing in a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, stop sign violation, and failure to signal.
Gary and Mary Weaver were from Eureka, Missouri, and had been traveling in their mobile home when they got stabbed.
Thompson is in custody at the Hall County Jail.