In the early morning hours of September 30, 2018, the lives of Joseph Allen, a 42-year-old male, and his wife were abruptly ended by gunfire outside their home in Tunas, Missouri. The couple had been celebrating their wedding anniversary, and their school-aged children were not home at the time. It appears they interrupted an attempted robbery and were killed when they tried to protect their property.
The tragic discovery was made later that morning by Brandy Allen's father, who had gone to check on his nearby cattle. Investigators found that the couple's pickup truck had been stolen. The vehicle was later located in a wooded area approximately 15 miles from their residence.
The investigation led authorities to two suspects, Billy Sage Medley and Jeffrey Dale Lee Stevenson. Surveillance video from local businesses played a crucial role in identifying the two men. Stevenson was arrested on October 3, 2018. Medley, who was the subject of a manhunt, was later captured in Oklahoma. Both men faced multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and burglary.
In a subsequent development, two other men were charged with abandonment of a corpse after authorities learned they had seen the bodies of the Allens on three separate occasions and failed to report it. Billy Medley eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and seven other crimes. In September 2020, he was sentenced to 48 years in prison for his role in the killings. A plea hearing for Jeffrey Stevenson was scheduled for October 2020.
