Keeping a Killer Behind Bars

  • Author:
    n/a
  • Send To:
    Board of Probation and Parole - MO Department of Corrections
  • Sponsored By:
    members of the Stemmons Family
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John S. Martin, MO DOC No. 00027228, has been scheduled for a parole hearing on August 19, 2009 to be held at the Moberly Correctional Center. John Martin shot and killed a customer of a Rolla service station, Leroy Spencer, during a hold up of the gas station in September 1974. During that robbery, John Martin shot Melvin Craft, the clerk at the gas station, three times and left him for dead. Fortunately, Melvin Craft survived and was later able to identify Martin as the murderer. Two months after this robbery on November 21, 1974, Martin and two other men robbed Airport Package Liquor Store. Martin then forced the owner and Carthage businessman, James Stemmons, into his own pickup truck and drove to a wooded area southeast of Carthage along the banks of Jones Creek. While James Stemmons was allowed to relieve himself, Martin shot him three times at point-blank range in the back of the head with his own gun which Martin had stolen from the store. John Martin took the guns and the $115 he had stolen from the cash register and left James Stemmons on the forest floor. John S. Martin was tried and convicted of two counts of murder in the first degree sentenced to two concurrent life sentences. This convicted double murderer has the chance of parole. By signing this petition you acknowledge that you wish John S. Martin, MO DOC No. 00027228, to serve the sentence which was imposed upon him in a court of law to be served in prison, not in our community!

632 Signatures

  • R. Gretchen Smith
  • Deborah D. Smith
  • Cindy Wilson
    • Comments
    • John Martin is a cold blooded killer, who deserves to serve his entire "life" sentence where he's at.
  • Deanna Gaither
    • Comments
    • James Stemmons was my uncle
  • Nathan McGuire
  • Pamela K. Strader
    • Comments
    • My uncle, James Stemmons was the victim. Please keep this cold blooded killer behind bars.
  • Steph Lattimer
  • Matthew R Campbell
  • Amanda Gayhart-Lawson
  • Ashley Boland
  • Megan Sees
  • Caitlin Hunt
  • Trenton Vane Crawford
    • Comments
    • I cant believe someone like this has the opportunity for parole!
  • Crystal Simmons-Willson
  • AJg denzl
  • Valerie R. Cooley
  • David Rinaldi
  • Ann Johnson
    • Comments
    • keep him in jail
  • KERI CHRISTESON
  • Rilla Rinaldi
  • Julie Lopata
  • Lee Lopata, MD
  • Heather L Henson
  • Dean Diefenderfer
  • Holly Hale
  • Emily McKnight
  • Andrea Romero
  • Leslie Schirmer
  • Jennifer Gorsage
  • LaDonna Baty
  • Melissa Wilson
  • Courtney Stoddard
  • Carl W. McGee
  • Patrick Clark Jr
  • Kelly Czirr
    • Comments
    • Keep all offenders behind bars or we all run the chance of being their next vitim.
  • Danny Florez
  • Regina Buckley
  • Peter Hathaway
  • Dan Brayman
  • Jacob Ervin
  • Joseph M.
  • Mary York
  • Billy Card
  • jessica elmore
  • Dara Gulley
  • shannon hopper
    • Comments
    • Let him pay for what hes done!
  • Marta Bryant
  • Cam Thompson
  • Alna Cretel
  • PAUL LICKTEIG