A Columbia-area pair accused of two murders Tuesday night in Callaway County are expected to appear at an arraignment today via a live video feed, according to a court official.
Dale Lee Horton and his girlfriend, Jennifer Ann Grayson, are accused of murdering his mother, Sherry Horton, and his brother-in-law Joshua Griffin, about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The incident occurred at a home at 2639 County Road 324, west of Fulton, owned by Sherry Horton and her husband, Dale D. Horton.
Lt. Clay Chism of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday he could not yet disclose the whereabouts of Dale D. Horton at the time of the incident.
“Today, Sheriff (Dennis) Crane and several investigators followed up on numerous leads in both Callaway and Boone counties,†he said Thursday. “The investigation is still in the early stages.â€
Both suspects are each charged with two counts of first-degree murder, according to their probable cause statements. Dale L. Horton is also charged with two counts of armed criminal action, one count of stealing a motor vehicle and first-degree assault. Grayson is also charged with one count of first-degree assault.
The pair were arrested at a motel in Columbia about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Their children, present at the motel, were taken into custody by state child care workers, Chism said.
He also said in the probable cause statement that Grayson’s mother had been interviewed by a Boone County sheriff’s detective, and she said Grayson and Dale L. Horton had come by her home about 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, asking to leave their children because they “needed to do something immediately.â€
On Wednesday, Crane said this was the first murder case in Callaway County since August 2014.