A 50 year old man is shot during an attempted robbery in Des Moines, IA Ernest Harold Lilly Sr., a 50-year-old White man, was shot during an attempted robbery at Frank's Place, a tavern located at 3940 McDonald Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. The attack occurred on Tuesday, September 11, 1973. What began as a robbery attempt left Lilly critically wounded and set in motion a prolonged struggle that would ultimately turn the shooting into a homicide investigation.
Lilly survived the initial attack but never recovered from the damage caused by the gunshot.
He remained alive for more than three months before dying from his injuries on December 19, 1973. Although September 11 is sometimes recorded as the date associated with his case, it was the date he was shot; his actual death occurred in December. His death was consequently attributed to the violence inflicted during the attempted robbery.
Born on April 11, 1923, Lilly had served in the United States Navy during World War II. He later married Ruth Marie Northway, and they raised four children: Ernest Jr., Grace, Jim, and Kathy. The shooting abruptly devastated a family that had already watched him endure months of serious medical complications. He was eventually laid to rest at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Des Moines.
Des Moines police investigated the shooting under case number 1973-46114, but publicly available records do not identify a suspected gunman or accomplice. There is no indication that anyone was arrested, formally charged, brought to trial, or convicted in connection with the attempted robbery and Lilly's eventual death. No publicly disclosed evidence has established who confronted him at the tavern or what occurred during the decisive moments of the attack.
The homicide has remained unsolved for decades. With no named suspect and no prosecution, the person responsible was never held accountable. Authorities have continued to classify Lilly's death as an open cold case and have sought information from anyone who may know something about the robbery, the shooting, or those involved. More than half a century later, the unanswered questions surrounding Frank's Place continue to leave Ernest Lilly's family without a definitive explanation or justice.
