On a tragic Sunday in August of 2007, the city of Neosho, Missouri, which had not seen a homicide in over a decade, became the scene of a violent shooting at the First Congregational Church. A 44-year-old male pastor, Intenson Rehobson, was one of three men who lost their lives on August 12, 2007, during a service. The church, which was rented by a predominantly Micronesian congregation, was holding services in the Pingelapese language when the attack occurred.
The tranquility of the
service was shattered when Eiken Elam Saimon, a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, entered the church armed with two pistols. After demanding that children and a relative of his leave the building, Saimon shouted, 'Liar, liar!' and opened fire on the senior members of the church. In the ensuing chaos, Intenson Rehobson, his nephew, Senior Pastor Kernel Rehobson, and Associate Pastor Kuhpes Ikosia were fatally shot. Four other individuals were also wounded in the attack. Following the shooting, Saimon held the remaining fifty or so churchgoers hostage for a brief period before police negotiators were able to convince him to surrender.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Eiken Elam Saimon was taken into custody and faced a multitude of charges. These included three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the three pastors and four counts of first-degree assault for those he injured. In a separate but related matter, Saimon was also charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old relative, an act he reportedly committed in retaliation for her wrecking his car the night before the church shooting.
To avoid the death penalty, Eiken Elam Saimon entered into a plea agreement in March 2009. He pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him and received three life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders. In addition, he was sentenced to four 30-year sentences for the assault charges and two seven-year sentences for the sexual offenses.
