FORMER CAPE MAN DEAD IN SHOOTING

Some Cape Girardeau residents remember John Seay Jr. as a stellar geology student, a reliable baby-sitter and a first-born son. A New Mexico man's memories of him on Monday led to Seay's death in a Texas murder-suicide, police there say.

Seay was shot several times with a semi-automatic 9mm Glock pistol after a minor traffic accident that police in Midland, Texas, say was deliberate.

The killer, 40-year-old Christopher Macha of Hobbs, N.M., died from a single shot to his head.

Seay, 57, a graduate of Central High School and Southeast Missouri State University, stopped for doughnuts Monday morning at a Midland shop. He'd bought doughnuts at the shop for the past 17 years, said his mother, Jean Seay.

He lived in Texas for 30 years, where he operated his own oil exploration business.

Macha's truck collided with Seay's in an alley behind the doughnut shop, and both men exited their pickups, witnesses told police. Macha then took several shots at Seay, one of which struck him in the head.

The killing apparently was motivated by a grudge. Seay's mother recalled that her son had laid off Macha's father in 1988. The man's father later died of cancer, she said.

"Then, about six years ago, he met Johnny in a fast-food restaurant and told him if he ever got near him again he'd kill him," his mother said.

Seay's family had moved to Cape Girardeau in 1960 from Farmington, Mo. He and his two younger sisters, Mindy and Mary Jane, were all wonderful baby sitters, neighbor Ann Parkinson said.

Parkinson admits she had doubts about leaving her 4-month-old baby with Seay, who was a geology student of her husband's at Southeast.

"But when we came home he was holding her, feeding her a bottle as easily as can be," she said.

Word about Seay got around the earth science department, said Ed Williams, former department head. Seay also baby-sat Williams' children and taught them about snakes.

"He was an amateur herpetologist, so he brought one over to our house when he babysat," Williams recalled. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to teach our children not to be afraid of snakes."

Whenever Seay returned to Cape Girardeau to see his family, he would visit the earth sciences department, Williams said.

His last visit was a year ago for his father's funeral. Seay had gotten married last month, so he had not planned to visit this year, his mother said.

But he has been faithful about making daily calls to his mother, particularly in the past five years. She said she is forced to stay at home most days due to leukemia, lymphoma and chemotherapy.

She said she will miss not hearing from him on Christmas. "He has been my light every day," she said.

A memorial service for Seay will be held Friday at First Presbyterian Church in Midland.