In the quiet area of Fordland, Missouri, the life of 34-year-old Lance Terrill was violently cut short on October 12, 2017. He was at his home off of Z Highway in northwest Douglas County when he was fatally shot. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that his two young children were present in the home at the time of the incident.
For nearly six years, the investigation into Terrill's death continued, a persistent effort involving the Douglas County Sheriff's Office with assistance
from Christian and Webster County authorities. The community was left with questions and a sense of unease as no suspect was publicly identified, though investigators were seeking two persons of interest. The case remained a somber note in the region, a puzzle with missing pieces.
A significant breakthrough finally came in January 2024, when a Douglas County grand jury handed down an indictment. Howard J.G. Applegate, a 28-year-old resident of Ava, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Terrill's death. At the time of the indictment, Applegate was already incarcerated in the Douglas County Jail on unrelated felony charges of assault and burglary.
The indictment brought a series of serious charges against Applegate, including armed criminal action, three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of concealing a felony. The lengthy and complex investigation, which spanned over half a decade and involved hundreds of hours of police work, had finally culminated in a formal accusation, offering a measure of hope for justice for Lance Terrill and his family.
