MO - Cynthia Smith, 31, murdered in 1988 *ARREST on 8 Sept 2019*

[imstilla.grandma]

In blue jeans and a black town of Perinton hoodie, Larry Timmons, a bespectacled and grandfatherly man with a paunch, cut an unthreatening figure as a town parks watchman.

What few people who encountered Timmons when he worked for Perinton in 2014, or in his years prior as a real estate salesman around Rochester, could know was that police in his native Missouri suspected him in several killings whose investigations had long gone cold.

On Friday, police there charged Timmons, 65, who now resides in that state, for the 1988 murder of Cynthia Smith, a 31-year-old woman whose slaying he was questioned in at the time.

Investigators there said police in neighboring Oklahoma, where Timmons lived for several years, had reopened investigations into at least two homicides, namely the 1994 murder of Timmons’ first wife, Deborah Jean Timmons, and the 1998 drowning death of an 11-year-old girl who was friends with a daughter Timmons had with Deborah Jean.

“We call him an opportunist,” said Sgt. Melissa Phillips, of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in southwest Missouri. “He does not target on sex or age. He has little boys in his past. He has little girls in his past. He has women in his past.”
Man charged in 31-year-old cold case murder. Police suspect he may have killed others

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A Missouri man has been indicted for a cold case murder he was questioned about 31 years ago after it happened, according to reports.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office said Friday in a news release the indictmentcharges Lawrence Timmons, 65, of Pierce City, with the murder of 31-year-old Cynthia Smith in 1988.

Shortly after Smith’s body was found in a cemetery, Timmons was questioned in connection with the death, but no charges were filed, KYTV reported Saturday.

The station reported that the popular reality TV crime show “Cold Justice” helped investigators crack the case.

In the news release, the sheriff’s office said only that the case was reopened after investigators were contacted by a “private investigation firm who wished to assist with new information that they had received.”

“After several months of ongoing investigations, information was turned over to the Lawrence County prosecutor, who presented the information to a grand jury,” the sheriff’s office said. “After receiving the information, the grand jury issued the indictment on Timmons.”
Missouri man indicted in cold case murder he was quizzed about 31 years ago

 

[JerseyGirl]

COLD CASE ARREST: Lawrence County investigators feel relief after arrest in 31-year cold case

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Clad in a pink jumpsuit, Lawrence Timmons appeared in a Lawrence County courtroom before Judge Jack Goodman early Tuesday to hear a formal reading of charges following a Lawrence County grand jury indictment.

Charges include first-degree murder in the 1988 death of Aurora resident Cynthia A. Smith and six charges of unlawful possession a firearm — an M1 rifle, prosecutor Matthew Kasper said — for incidents alleged to have taken place in 2017 and 2019.

Timmons also faces a charge of forgery on a job application he allegedly filled out in Feb. 2019 — a second forgery charge for Timmons, who was arrested Aug. 19 at his Pierce City home on suspicion of filling out a job application in March with false information about his status as a convicted felon.

Lawrence Timmons, left, in a 2019 booking photo, and right in a 2007 photo. (Photo: News-Leader photo illustration)
The arraignment featured little discussion of any evidence of crimes prosecutors say Timmons committed. Judge Goodman said that under Missouri law, Timmons could face an extended term of imprisonment — three to 10 years — if convicted on the forgery and unlawful firearm possession charges due to his prior felony convictions for a 1976 kidnapping and assault that took place in Springfield.

If convicted of murder in Smith's 1988 death, Timmons could face the death penalty or life imprisonment without possibility of parole, Goodman said.

Goodman entered not-guilty pleas on Timmons' behalf because Timmons is not represented by a defense attorney.

After his arrest in August, Timmons applied for a public defender but was denied. A court official told the judge Tuesday that Timmons has more than $250,000 in assets and was thus not eligible for indigent defense help.

"Well, I know I don't have assets anywhere near $250,000," Timmons told the judge.

Judge Goodman ordered an Oct. 8 indigency review.
Timmons faces first-degree murder and seven felony charges, says he can't afford attorney

 

[YESorNO]

Larry Timmons: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Sep 10, 2019

"Larry Timmons is a convicted felon and former real estate agent who was recently indicted by a grand jury for the 1988 murder of 31-year-old Cynthia Smith....

Police in neighboring Oklahoma have reopened two cases that they think Timmons may have been involved in including the 1994 murder of his first wife, Deborah Jean Timmons, and the 1998 drowning death of an 11-year-old girl who was friends with his daughter.

Timmons is currently being held in the Lawrence County jail on $250,000 bond.

Here’s what you need to know:..."

Larry Timmons: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

 

[YESorNO]

'Cold Justice' TV showrunner: Timmons is 'the kind of suspect that we fear the most'

Sept. 10, 2019

"Among the 67 endorsed witnesses listed in the grand-jury indictment of Lawrence G. Timmons, one is Kelly Siegler, a former Texas prosecutor dubbed the "giant killer" for her track record in securing death-penalty verdicts in homicide cases.

Siegler is now an executive producer on "Cold Justice," a popular true-crime TV broadcast that airs on the Oxygen network.

"Cold Justice" helped Lawrence County law enforcement conduct its investigation into Timmons and the alleged murder of Cynthia Smith in 1988, Siegler told the News-Leader on Tuesday afternoon. The show will air an episode about the case next year.

"I think that Larry Timmons represents the kind of suspect that we fear the very most in our lives because he looks like a nice, sweet old man who wouldn't harm a fly," Siegler told the News-Leader...."

'Cold Justice' TV showrunner: Timmons is 'the kind of suspect that we fear the most'