On September 15, 1973, a violent sequence of events unfolded at a residence in Springfield, Missouri, claiming the life of 32-year-old Coffier Eugene Day. That afternoon, a man named Robert Wesley Knighton arrived at the home Coffier shared with his father, Claude Day. Shortly after Knighton’s arrival, a confrontation erupted between the men. The situation escalated rapidly when Knighton produced a pistol and opened fire on both residents.
Claude Day sustained a gunshot wound to the neck but survived the assault. Coffier was not as fortunate; he was struck multiple times by gunshots and sustained fatal wounds, dying as a result of the injuries.
Following the shooting, the assailant fled the scene on foot, sparking a manhunt that quickly involved further criminal acts in the immediate vicinity. Knighton attempted to secure a getaway vehicle by entering a nearby home belonging to the Jarrett family. He took the couple and their young daughter hostage at gunpoint, forcing them to drive him away from the area. The abduction continued for some time until law enforcement was able to intercept and apprehend Knighton, ending the spree without physical harm to the hostages.
Robert Wesley Knighton was subsequently taken into custody and faced multiple charges stemming from the day's events. Although initially charged with first-degree murder for the death of Coffier Day, Knighton eventually entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of manslaughter. He also faced charges related to the kidnapping of the Jarrett family and robbery. The legal proceedings concluded with Knighton receiving a sentence of ten years for the manslaughter conviction, which was ordered to run consecutively with other sentences imposed for the kidnapping and robbery counts, resulting in a lengthy prison term in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
