The Murder of Larry Weaver
This post is going to be a little shorter, because this case only has a few articles on it and it’s the first time I heard of this case. I watched an episode of See No Evil on ID, it’s season 6, episode 8 titled ‘Hell on Wheels.’ The reason I like this show so much is because the police can track the entire case through surveillance footage like they say in every episode, the security footage doesn't lie.
Background
Larry Weaver was a 66 year old man, who went missing on June 26th, 2016. His wife Gina said when she met Larry, she recently lost her first husband and he made her broken heart beat again (aww!).
Larry loved to ride his black Harley Davidson motorcycle, and was recently on a trip in Missouri, riding with some friends when he went missing.
Larry Weaver
Murder and Investigation
Larry lived in Pittsburg, Kansas, but stopped to stay the night in Sikeston, Missouri at a Days Inn. Sikeston is about 5 hours from Kansas, and Larry didn’t want to drive home in the dark. Larry checked in at 8pm that night.
According to his wife, he was going to call her the next morning when he was on his way home. She didn’t hear anything from him all day, so she called the police.
The police arrived at the Days Inn to do a welfare check to see if Larry was still there. The manager gave the police access to his room, he asked for a room overlooking the spot where he parked his motorcycle. When the police looked around, they didn’t find Larry or his motorcycle, but they did find his keys, wallet, vest and bike helmet in the room. They also noticed that the bed hadn't been slept in.
The manager of the motel said they didn’t have surveillance because the motel was old, but the police noticed that the Sonic restaurant across the street did. The camera was facing the motel. The police review footage and nothing happens until 2:44am, when a dark colored truck with a trailer pulls into the parking lot. The car then leaves the parking lot at 2:58am, going much faster. They also notice that their seems to be an item in the trailer.
The police do another search of Larry’s room, and find a receipt from a convenience store time stamped at around 5:45pm. The convenience store is right near the motel. Larry is seen putting gas into his motorcycle, and leaves immediately after with no one following him.
Next, the police go to a Walmart that is right across the highway from the Days Inn, to see if they can at least see the direction of the truck. They determine that the truck is a Chevrolet Avalanche truck. They cue the video up to 2:58am, and see the same truck passing the Walmart and going onto Highway 61.
A few days later, they find the truck again on surveillance in a town called Matthews, Missouri- about 9 miles from Sikeston. The truck is seen driving through around 3:20am. They can clearly see a black Harley Davidson being pulled in the trailer.
Now that the police believe it is Larry’s bike, and they still haven’t found Larry, they have helicopters fly around the Sikeston area. Sikeston is full of farm fields. 4 days after Larry went missing, they find Larry’s body in a field. He is beaten, and there is rope tied around his neck and ankles.
The Tip
The police put out a photo of the truck and trailer to the media, and catch a break. A week after Larry’s murder, a man comes into the police station and tells them he knows who killed Larry.
He said a man named Lorenzo Coleman, and another man and woman offered to sell him a motorcycle they had. He said the other man, not Lorenzo seemed to be in charge and was “calling the shots.” He said he didn’t want the buy the motorcycle, and thought it seemed weird. They were all driving in a dark blue Chevy Avalanche.
The Suspects
The police go to the home of Lorenzo Coleman, and find the blue Chevy in the driveway. The vehicle is actually registered to his sister, Elsie Coleman. Elise was married to a man named Ronnie Robinson, who the police believed was the other man and woman that the witness said was with Lorenzo. All three have criminal records. The police brought all of them into the police station.
Elise and Ronnie deny being there, and don’t want to talk. Lorenzo is a different story, he says all three of them were driving around that night looking for a motorcycle to steal. He said they found one, but he denied being the one to kill Larry. He said it was Ronnie, and that after they went to Casey’s General Store to get change to clean the car.
The police go to Casey’s to ask for surveillance footage. The store only has footage from the inside. At 5:04am, Ronnie Robinson walks in to buy bug spray, and ask for change. Ronnie still refuses to talk, but Elsie admits to her part.
Elsie said they drove by the Days Inn, and spotted Larry’s motorcycle out front. She said they were loading it into the truck and Larry ran out to stop them. She said that Larry was in the back with the motorcycle when they drove out of the parking lot. They got to the field, and Ronnie started beating Larry, and got some rope from the truck and tied him up. Ronnie gave Elise a story to tell the police after, and said to blame it all on Lorenzo.
Arrests and Convictions
On July 6, 2016, all three suspects are charged.
Elise Coleman, Ronnie Robinson and Lorenzo Coleman
Lorenzo Coleman plead guilty to tampering with evidence and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Elise Coleman also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Ronnie Robinson didn’t plead guilty, but was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Larry Weaver. He has never admitted to his part in the murder.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a opportunity killing and DID NOT have to happen. Larry was killed because three idiots wanted to steal a motorcycle. Larry was just trying to stop them, and was brutally murdered. I feel so sorry for Larry’s wife, Gina and their family and friends, but at least the police didn't give up and Larry got the justice he deserved.
I personally think that all three of them are dangerous and should all be in jail for life. I really hope that Elise and Lorenzo aren’t able to walk free anytime soon, because they were just as involved as Ronnie was.
Sources
https://www.kfvs12.com/story/32328815/3-people-to-go-to-trial-on-murder-charges-in-death-of-ks-man/
