POLICE AND COURT RECORDS TELL THE STORY OF THE SCHEPER FAMILY MURDERS

Police records and court testimony have left few doubts about what happened at 31 N. Henderson St. early in the morning on Aug. 9, 1992.

The actions that led to the murders started to unfold earlier, with Gary Roll in his home at 1972 Big Bend Road on the evening of Aug. 8 with two friends, David Wayne Rhodes and John Gregory Browne Jr. They watched television, played Nintendo and used LSD.

Roll's son, Luke, was at the house, but not involved in what his father and the others were doing.

As the three talked, they concocted the idea to rob a drug dealer and steal his dope and money.

After batting names back and forth, they settled on Stuart Miller, who was living on Lorimier Street with his girlfriend. Miller had been convicted of selling marijuana in 1988.

Roll, who owned several guns, got a .357-caliber revolver and a 12-inch knife with a double-sided blade for himself. He gave Rhodes and Browne .22-caliber semi-automatic pistols and a knife.

After midnight, they arrived at Miller's residence in Roll's pickup truck. Before going to the door, one of them cut the phone and cable television wires to the house. Then they started pounding on the door.

They heard a child's voice saying, "Daddy, there's somebody at the door."

Browne recognized the voice as Miller's 8-year-old daughter. Both Browne and Rhodes said they wouldn't go in with children at home.

Roll cursed his accomplices, and they returned to Roll's house.

After Rhodes went to sleep with his girlfriend, Browne continued talking with Roll about who they could rob. They decided on 17-year-old Randy Scheper, who police said sold small quantities of marijuana. Browne knew him because he had taken special-education classes with his 22-year-old brother, Curtis Scheper.

When Roll, Browne and Rhodes arrived at the Schepers it was about 4 a.m. Rhodes and Roll went to the door, while Browne remained outside to avoid being recognized. Roll pounded on the door and held up Cape Girardeau Police Department badge No. 51. Former police detective Robert Sander had reported it lost several years earlier.

Roll hollered that he was Lt. John Brown, and told Sherry Scheper to open the door.

She did, and Roll pushed his way in and ordered her to lie face down on the floor. Curtis Scheper ran up to the living room from the basement. He was also ordered to lie face down.

Randy Scheper came out of his bedroom in a pair of cut-off jeans. Roll told him he wanted his drugs and money. Randy Scheper told him he wouldn't give him a thing.

Roll slapped him across the face with his gun, discharging a bullet into the wall.

Randy Scheper screamed and fell to his knees, and Roll repeated his demand.

"My dad's going to hear about this," he told Roll.

Roll followed Randy Scheper to his bedroom after telling Rhodes to watch the other two.

Roll had said once he was in the bedroom, Randy Scheper made a motion as if he was reaching for a weapon. Roll shot him in the head.

Roll emerged from the bedroom stuffing marijuana cigarettes into a pocket in his jeans.

Sherry Scheper had covered her face with her hands after hearing the gunshots.

Roll kneeled next to Curtis Scheper and stabbed him three times in the back with his knife. Curtis Scheper didn't cry and didn't flinch.

Roll got up and told Sherry Scheper he wanted her drugs and money. Rhodes accompanied her upstairs to her bedroom, where she retrieved a Cheese Puffs canister with about 12 sandwich-size baggies of marijuana. She took $214 from her purse and gave that to Rhodes.

When they went downstairs, Rhodes started to go outside to take the marijuana to the pickup truck as Roll began to beat Sherry Scheper on the head with his gun and stab at her with his knife.

Browne asked Rhodes when he came outside what was going on inside the house.

"You don't want to know," Rhodes said.

Rhodes briefly went back inside the house and saw Sherry Scheper at Roll's knees, holding onto his jeans as he continued to beat her with his gun.

Rhodes went back outside to wait.

After Roll came out of the house, all three got into the truck and drove back to Roll's house.