Guilt Written In Blood

Canton is a small town in Lewis County, in the far north-east corner of Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Founded in 1830 and incorporated in 1851, it prospered on river trade and the railway but flooded repeatedly until a levee was built in the 1960s. Today it has 2,388 people.

The story is about Brandy Lynn June Kerns, born in 1975, who graduated from Canton High School, trained as a nurse at Hannibal Tech and belonged to the First Baptist Church of Canton. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now Brandy lived with her mother, Yvonne, and her stepfather, Wayne Howering, a lockman at Lock and Dam No. 20. details of the account remain covered until revealed

Around 1 June 1997 Brandy ended the relationship. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it In June he contacted his former wife, Mary, whom he had not spoken to for almost two years, and visited his children. On the morning of 4 July 1997, at about 7.30, he drove past OC's Tavern in Canton and saw that Brandy's car had been parked there since the night before. He phoned his ex-wife, then Yvonne, asking whether Brandy had come home. Later he followed Brandy to the house of Brian Brooks, the man she was seeing; she talked him down in under three minutes and he left.

this part of the story is covered for now At about 1.48 a.m. on 5 July he parked about 30 yards from the Howering house, leaving three guns in the truck, and walked round the pond with some beer. He then let himself in through the basement door with a key he still had, took off his shoes and went upstairs. In the kitchen he found Brandy holding Tatum for a night feed. She told him to leave. In a scuffle he stabbed her eight times, in the neck, chest, abdomen, arm and thigh, with a knife that an old girlfriend had once given him. details of the account remain covered until revealed Her clothing had also been partly removed. Tatum was found unharmed at her feet.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it Wayne had been woken by the noise. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed Wayne was still alive when help arrived but was soon pronounced dead from blood loss. Brandy's wounds had cut her liver, kidney and lung.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now Police found him covered in blood and took him into custody. At the house police found his blood trail, a sock, three beer cans with his fingerprints and his keys in the lock. They noticed Brandy's message in blood only two days later and took up the kitchen floor as evidence. details of the account remain covered until revealed

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now The court allowed him to continue. details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it A defence psychiatrist cited depression and a personality disorder; the state's expert said narcissistic personality disorder. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed His final words asked the families for forgiveness; Brandy's sister, Brighty Brooks, shouted at him as he spoke. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it Brighty said afterwards that the apology rang hollow. Tatum, then seven, lived with her grandmother Yvonne. Brandy is buried at Forest Grove Cemetery in Canton and Wayne at Bluff Springs Cemetery in Gregory Landing.