In the quiet town of Boonville, Missouri, the first of March in 1994 was shattered by a violent outburst that ended the life of 33-year-old Robin Michelle Coleman. A female cook at the Kemper Military School and College cafeteria, Coleman was tragically caught in the crossfire of a domestic dispute that escalated into a public rampage.
On that day, an intoxicated ex-convict named Dante D. Hayes entered the cafeteria brandishing a shotgun. He was reportedly searching for his estranged wife after a fight the previous night and chillingly declared his intention to kill everyone present. In the ensuing chaos, Hayes opened fire, fatally shooting Robin Michelle Coleman and the cafeteria manager, Richard Vancena. Another cook narrowly managed to escape the gunfire by hiding.
Following the deadly shooting, Hayes fled the cafeteria and took two teenagers hostage in a nearby apartment. After hours of tense negotiations with law enforcement, he eventually surrendered. Dante D. Hayes was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Coleman and Vancena, as well as armed criminal action related to the hostage situation. He was held without bond as the case proceeded through the legal system.
