Girlfriend charged 17 years after man found shot dead in driveway
By Stephanie Baumer
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Missouri (KMOV) — A woman has been charged 17 years after her live-in boyfriend was found shot to death in Jefferson County.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt was in St. Louis Thursday morning to announce a second-degree murder charge against Alice P. Weiss in the shooting death of her live-in boyfriend James Summers. Summers was found shot dead in his driveway in the 6600 block of Shenandoah Lane in Jefferson County the night of April 27, 2004.
At the time of the murder, Weiss said she was in the bathroom and heard the gunshots. She also admitted that a .22 caliber handgun found near Summers belonged to her and was stored unloaded in a bedroom closet.
“According to Ms. Weiss, Summers had gone to pick up his daughter from a gymnastics class while she went to shower in the master bedroom,” explained Schmitt. “Ms. Weiss claims to have heard the gunshots from the bathroom and went to investigate.”
Schmitt also noted that deputies reported several inconsistences in Weiss’ story. When deputies tried to perform a gunshot residue swab on Weiss’ hands, she reportedly attempted to stall and use the restroom.
“When deputies would not allow her to use the restroom, she changed her story and stated she fired the handgun earlier that day. Apparently for the first time in 20 years,” said Schmitt.
Weiss’ father was the only other person at the home at the time of fatal shooting. He reportedly was suffering from late-stage dementia and could not provide a coherent statement or recounting of events.
On the ride home from the Sheriff’s Office the day after Summers was killed, Weiss allegedly told her cousin she “[expletive] up” in messing up her story with the deputies. The cousin also told authorities that when the two went shopping four years after murder, Weiss said that if she was charged in Summers’ death, she could say her father shot him because he was dead and could avoid prosecution.
The probable cause statement claims Weiss changed her story multiple times on storage and firing of the murder weapon. It also states the sleeve of the robe Weiss wore the night of the shooting had gunshot residue.
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