In the small community of Kirksville, Missouri, the life of 19-year-old Danny Charles Welte Jr. came to a tragic and unexpected end on Sunday, November 13, 2016. A recent graduate of Kirksville High School, Class of 2015, Danny was known by friends and family as a jokester who enjoyed spending his time playing Xbox and being with his loved ones. He was employed at the local Wal-Mart and attended the Lancaster Baptist Church.
His death was later reported as a suicide.
The grief surrounding Danny's death was compounded by a horrific event that unfolded just hours after his funeral service on Thursday, November 17, 2016. His father, Danny Welte Sr., fatally shot his estranged wife and Danny Jr.'s mother, Echo Welte, in the parking lot of a Days Inn in Kirksville. The couple had been going through a divorce at the time of their son's death.
Eyewitnesses testified that Danny Sr. and Echo had been arguing for several hours inside her vehicle. A bystander intervened after seeing the vehicle's lights flashing and pulled Danny Sr. away from his wife. As the bystander was attempting to help Echo back into the hotel, her husband ran past them and shot her in the back of the head. It was reported that his gun had jammed four times before he was able to fire the fatal shot. The entire incident was captured on the hotel's security footage.
Following the shooting, Danny Welte Sr. fled the scene but was apprehended by law enforcement hours later. In February 2020, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. During the trial, his defense team did not call any witnesses or present new evidence. In July 2020, Danny Welte Sr. was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his estranged wife, a tragic end to a series of devastating events for the Welte family.
