In August of 2019, the body of 41-year-old Toni Washburn, a female, was discovered in a pickup truck in Saint Louis, Missouri. Alongside her was the body of 62-year-old Mark Kuhlenberg. Both individuals had been fatally shot. The discovery was made after residents reported a foul odor and blood leaking from the vehicle. Police believed they had been shot days before their bodies were found.
An investigation led to the arrest of 63-year-old Willie E. Little.
Little was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the deaths of Washburn and Kuhlenberg. It was reported that Washburn was the mother of Little's two children and that Kuhlenberg was her new boyfriend.
However, in February 2020, a judge dismissed the double murder case against Willie E. Little. The dismissal was granted after it was argued that Little had been incarcerated for nearly six months without a preliminary hearing or an indictment, which violated his right to a timely hearing under Missouri Supreme Court rules.
