JOPLIN, Mo. —
A Joplin attorney, R. Deryl Edwards Jr., 41, was killed in a plane crash Sunday night near Stotts City, his father, Deryl Edwards Sr., confirmed this morning. Richard A. Armstrong Jr., 50, a flight instructor from Neosho, also was killed.
“They were trying to make it to the Mount Vernon airport,” Edwards Sr. said.
A new engine had been put in the plane at the Monett airport, where they took off. A friend was following them in a second plane and observed the plane that crashed begin to leak oil and gas.
“We know exactly what happened,” Edwards Sr. said.
Edwards Sr. said his son had a passion for flying that was shared by others in the family.
Butch O’Hare, a World War II pilot who became a U.S. Navy ace and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was a great uncle. O’Hare was killed in combat in 1943. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is named for him. Another relative served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during the war and was shot down over Germany, but survived the war.
Crime & Courts
Victims of plane crash identified
- Crime & Courts
-
-
No charges to be filed in Joplin shooting case
The nonfatal shooting of a 25-year-old man at a Joplin residence on May 13 has been deemed justified by authorities. Jacob B. Boykin, 21, of Joplin, shot Justin S. Johnson, 25, of Carterville, once in the chest with a small-caliber handgun at 5260 E. Sunny Acres Lane.
-
Alcohol cited as factor in Grand Lake boat crash that killed two college students
Alcohol was one of several factors contributing to a boating accident on Grand Lake earlier this month that claimed the lives of two college students.
-
Hired hand won’t face death penalty in Vernon County murder case
The state has agreed not to seek the death penalty against Jeremy L. Maples in the murder of Belinda J. Beisly, but prosecutors have yet to take the option off the table for the victim’s husband, Bob T. Beisly II.
-
Former IRS worker gets probation after guilty plea to theft of funds
Pittsburg resident and former Internal Revenue Service employee Becky L. Book received two years probation after pleading guilty earlier this year to the theft of $26,449.65 in public funds.
-
Arma mother facing murder charge in sleeping baby’s death
Heather Buckalew fell asleep on a couch with her 4-month-old baby after a night last summer drinking beer with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Donald Harvey, got up to go to work a few hours later and spotted his son, lying face down on a pillow between the back of the couch and his sleeping mother.
-
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.
-
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
-
Firefighters douse blaze inside wall; no injuries cited
The Joplin Fire Department used thermal-imaging equipment Wednesday night to detect a hidden fire inside a residence.
-
Exeter resident hurt in accident in Barry County
An Exeter resident was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 2:15 p.m. Thursday on Missouri Highway 76, two miles west of Exeter in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
-
Pittsburg couple arrested; children taken out of home
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A Pittsburg couple was arrested and their three children removed from their care Wednesday when narcotics officers allegedly seized marijuana, methamphetamine and other items in a search of their home.
- More Crime & Courts Headlines
-
No charges to be filed in Joplin shooting case



