In the quiet, rural outpost of Grasshopper Junction, Arizona, a grim discovery shattered the morning calm on May 14, 1991. Jacqueline 'Jackie' Appelhans, a 60-year-old female, and her partner, 65-year-old Dean Morrison, were found murdered in their home, which was adjacent to the restaurant and store they owned and operated. A friend who had stopped by for a morning coffee noticed the restaurant door was ajar, money was scattered on the ground, and the cash register was gone. This unsettling scene led the friend to the couple's nearby house, where the door was also open. Inside, both Jackie and Dean were found lying face down, dressed in their bathrobes. They had both been shot multiple times in the head.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Department was immediately called to the ransacked home, where they determined that at least three different firearms had been used in the commission of the crime: a shotgun, a. 38 caliber, and a. 22 caliber weapon. Investigators noted four sets of footprints at the scene, two belonging to the victims and two from their assailants, one wearing tennis shoes and the other in 'Western-style' boots. The evidence suggested that a violent struggle had occurred before the couple was killed. The brutality of the scene left the small community in shock as law enforcement began the urgent task of finding those responsible for the double homicide and robbery.
The breakthrough in the case came swiftly. On the very same day the bodies were discovered, police near Holbrook, Arizona, hundreds of miles away, attempted to pull over a vehicle with Alabama license plates that was linked to an unrelated assault and robbery. The car fled, leading officers on a high-speed chase down Interstate 40. During the pursuit, the occupants were seen throwing weapons out of the car window. The chase ended when the vehicle ran into a ditch, and the two occupants, brothers Robert and Roger Murray, were apprehended. A search of their vehicle uncovered a significant amount of cash, rolled coins stamped with the name of the victims' business, and keys to the gas station. Forensic evidence further tied them to the scene, including bloodstains on their clothing that were consistent with the victims' blood types and footwear that matched the prints left at the crime scene.
The weapons discarded during the chase were recovered and forensically matched to the bullets and casings found at the Grasshopper Junction murder scene. The overwhelming evidence led to Robert and Roger Murray being charged with two counts of first-degree murder and armed robbery. They were tried and convicted on all counts, and both were sentenced to death. Over the years, the brothers filed numerous appeals, claiming issues such as inadequate legal representation and prosecutorial misconduct. These appeals were consistently denied by the courts, with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding their convictions and death sentences in 2014, citing the mountain of evidence against them. Robert Murray died of natural causes while on death row in June 2014. Roger Murray remains incarcerated, continuing to challenge his sentence.
