Texas couple charged in shooting death of Missouri high schooler on her way to the zoo

A couple from Texas was charged this week in the deadly freeway shooting of a 17-year-old high school girl who was driving to the zoo for a Halloween celebration.Willie Herndon, 42, was charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Missouri with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with last week’s attack, which claimed the life of Alyssa Wilson, authorities said Monday.Taiya Herndon, said by investigators to be his wife, is charged with hindering prosecution for allegedly driving her husband to an Illinois hotel 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri, prosecuting attorney Melissa Price Smith said at a Monday news conference.It’s not clear if either of the two, from Arlington, Texas, has a lawyer. The state public defender’s office for the area did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Robert Hickman at a news conference in St. Louis, Mo., on Monday. KSDKThe attack took the life of Alyssa, who was on the precipice of adulthood and optimistic about the journey ahead, her father, Robert Hickman, said at the news conference.“Alyssa was 17, excited about her life, excited about her future,” he said as he teared up.The shooting unfolded around 7 p.m. Wednesday, when Alyssa was driving south on Interstate 170 in Overland, Missouri, just northwest of St. Louis, said Chief Deputy Commander Jack Abell, of the region’s Major Case Squad. She was on her way to Halloween festivities at the St. Louis Zoo, known as “Boo at the Zoo,” Abell said.According to surveillance video, Alyssa was traveling southbound and had just passed a white Buick Enclave that was stopped on the shoulder when the sound of a single round was heard, Abell said at the news conference.“A person exited the vehicle and stood outside for a short period of time,” he said. “There was a gunshot, got back in the vehicle. The vehicle turned its hazards off and continued on.”The round went through the rear of the red Buick Encore that Alyssa was driving, Abell said. First responders arrived after the vehicle crashed and found Alyssa with a gunshot wound, he said. She was rushed to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where she was pronounced dead.The Herndons had no connection to the girl, Abell said. Wilson was 60 days from turning 18, Hickman, her father, said.“We were getting ready to take our first family vacation together to go to Disney for her to see her favorite person in the world, Princess Tiana,” he said, referring to the character from the animated movie “The Princess and the Frog.” “Unfortunately, she’s not going to get do that anymore,” Hickman said. “This was a senseless act.”The couple was found after investigators used security video of the shooting, as well as automated license plate readers, to track that Buick, which had an out-of-state registration, Abell said.The vehicle was surveilled for “long hours” before investigators saw the couple come out of the hotel in Caseyville, where the two were taken into custody on Friday, he said.A judge-approved search in Illinois turned up a gun, as well as “supporting evidence,” Abell said, and a shell casing found alongside the freeway in Overland was being analyzed by investigators.Major Crimes Unit investigators subsequently interviewed Willie Herndon, he said, and came away with a better understanding of the crime.Alyssa Wilson.Photo courtesy Patrick Hickman via KSDK“During the interview, Willie Herndon provided details regarding his involvement in the incident and additional information pertaining to possible ongoing investigations in other areas,” Abell said. “Those investigations are continuing as we speak.”The region’s top prosecutor, Price Smith, said charges were filed in Missouri on Friday. Bail in those cases was set at $1 million for Willie Herndon and $500,000 for Taiya Herndon, to be posted in full, the Major Case Squad said in a statement.The two were being held as prosecutors await extradition to Missouri, authorities said. Inmate records for St. Clair County Jail in Illinois show Taiya Herndon is being held on an out-of-state warrant with no bail. The records state she was booked on Saturday.There were no jail records available for Willie Herndon.Alongside 20 or so Major Crimes Unit investigators, the case received help from law enforcement far and wide, authorities said.“The case was solved within 36 hours due to the collaborative efforts of the FBI, ATF and the many law enforcement agencies that are in this room,” FBI St. Louis Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dave Herr said at Monday’s news conference.Abell said he could not discuss a possible motive because cases that may be connected to the attack on Alyssa were still under investigation.