On December 7, 1994, a violent confrontation in the Village of Four Seasons in Camden County, Missouri, claimed the lives of two men dedicated to protecting their community. Fred Feuser Jr., a 47-year-old male Reserve Deputy with the Camden County Sheriff’s Department, was working security for the property owners' association when he received a call from a colleague.
William Jensen, a volunteer firefighter and fellow security guard, had discovered a stolen 27-foot speedboat that had been crashed into a dock at Downings Branch Cove near the five-mile marker.
Upon arriving at the scene to assist, Deputy Feuser and Jensen encountered two individuals who were in the process of burglarizing a storage locker near the water. The situation escalated rapidly before additional law enforcement could arrive. Both Feuser and Jensen were shot in the head with a. 22 caliber pistol. When authorities later reached the dock, they discovered Jensen deceased in a fishing boat and recovered Deputy Feuser’s body from the water by divers.
A massive manhunt ensued involving officers, deputies, and water patrolmen from across the state. Approximately 15 hours after the murders, investigators apprehended two suspects: 17-year-old Christopher Creed and a 13-year-old juvenile. The pair had fled the scene but were tracked down and taken into custody. Both suspects were subsequently charged with two counts of murder. Due to the severity of the crime, Christopher Creed was charged as an adult, while the younger suspect was processed through the youth court system. The legal proceedings and the young age of the offenders sparked a significant public outcry, ultimately leading to the passage of landmark legislation in Missouri regarding the prosecution of juveniles involved in serious violent crimes.
