Man convicted of killing wife 23 years later

ST. LOUIS -- More than 20 years after Tammy Jo Cross was killed in southern Missouri, her husband has been convicted of the crime.

A St. Francois County jury last week found 73-year-old Farrell Wayne Cross of Rolla guilty of first-degree murder. Sentencing is Aug. 8.

Tammy Jo Cross was shot in the head in February 1991, near Newburg, Missouri. She was 32.

Authorities said Farrell Cross killed her to avoid paying child support. Tammy Jo Cross was also pursuing assault charges against her husband and his new wife.

Farrell Cross was originally charged in 1991, but the case was dropped due to lack of evidence. The U.S. Attorney's office in St. Louis and the Missouri State Highway Patrol began a new investigation and the murder charge was re-filed in 2010.