On September 21, 1993, a quiet afternoon on a farm in Bonne Terre, Missouri, turned into a tragedy that would go unsolved for nearly a year. Grace Elizabeth White Lewis, a 62-year-old female, and her husband were returning to their home when they were ambushed by neighbors who had plotted to steal their cattle. The attackers had hiked through the woods and lay in wait, watching as the couple went about their daily routine.
While her husband was mowing the lawn, he was suddenly shot multiple times. Grace, who had been inside speaking on the phone with her daughter, heard the commotion and stepped outside to investigate, unknowingly walking into the violent trap.
Upon exiting the house, Grace was confronted by the assailants. One of the attackers, a teenage boy named Brent Rousan acting under the direction of his father, opened fire, striking her several times. Despite her injuries, she managed to retreat back into the home. However, the ringleader of the plot, William L. Rousan, followed her inside. In a final act of brutality, he covered her head with a garment bag and carried her back outside, where he ordered his son to finish her off. A final shot was fired, ending her life. The men then wrapped the bodies in a tarp and stole various items from the property, including a VCR, jewelry, and two cows, before fleeing the scene.
For a year, the disappearance of Grace and her husband remained a mystery, with their farmhouse standing empty and undisturbed. It wasn't until September 1994 that investigators received a breakthrough. A tip from William Rousan's brother-in-law implicated him in the murders, and a stolen VCR sold to a pawn shop by Rousan's sister was traced back to the victims. This evidence led police to the Rousan family's property in Washington County, about 30 miles away. There, buried in a shallow grave near a barn and covered with concrete and manure, authorities discovered the remains of the missing couple.
The subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of William Rousan, his son Brent, and his brother Robert Rousan. William, identified as the mastermind behind the cold-blooded robbery and murder plot, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection in April 2014. Brent Rousan, who was sixteen at the time of the crimes, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Robert Rousan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role and served seven years in prison before his release.
