Detective: Ferris said she shot Siebeck because she was still moving

Det. John Prudent painted a grim picture of the Oct. 19 scene inside the home located at 213 N. Douglas St. in West Frankfort.

Afton Danielle Ferris, 19, formerly of Cheyenne, Wyo., appeared Friday afternoon at the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton with two new attorneys while Franklin County State’s Attorney Tom Dinn asked questions of Prudent.

Prudent said he received a call at 2:09 p.m. Oct. 19 at the West Frankfort Police Department from Terri A. Siebeck’s aunt, who said she had observed what appeared to be blood on the outside of the door of the home that Siebeck shared with Kandis R. Majors.

Prudent said when he entered the home, he found the deceased bodies of Siebeck, 31, and Majors, 28, in the living room. He said the two suffered apparent gunshot wounds, adding that there were spent 22-caliber gun shells on the floor and furniture.

He said Ferris and Michael A. Schallert, 31, also formerly of Cheyenne, Wyo., had been living with Siebeck and Majors for a month before the fatal shots were fired. Prudent said Ferris admitted to being acquainted with a man who lived on North Laurel Street in West Frankfort, 1.25 miles from 213 N. Douglas St.

Prudent said Ferris said she and  Schallert had visited the home on North Laurel Street the day the incident occurred. He said the couple knew that the man had a 22-caliber handgun and waited until he went to sleep before returning to steal the weapon used in the shootings.

The man later told investigators that Schallert and Ferris said they were going to the home of Siebeck and Majors to rob and kill them.

He said items missing from the residence at 213 N. Douglas St. included several forms of identification belonging to Siebeck and Majors, as well as credit cards and Siebeck’s vehicle.

Prudent said West Frankfort police officers went to local businesses after the shootings to obtain videotapes. A videotape from the CC Mart located next to the interstate in West Frankfort revealed Schallert filling up the stolen vehicle with fuel at 11 p.m. on Oct. 18, he said. One of the victim’s stolen credit cards was used to pay for the purchase, he said.

Prudent said the U.S. Marshal’s Service was called in to assist in the search for Schallert and Ferris. They were located in the Ft. Collins, Colo., area. Prudent said he had viewed the videotapes.

Prudent said Ferris stated that the two knocked on the front door of 213 N. Douglas St. and said they were there to make things right between the four of them. He said Ferris stated that Schallert shot both subjects multiple times.

Majors was trying to leave by the front door when Ferris tackled her, forcing her back inside the home, Prudent said. Schallert reloaded the handgun and Ferris grabbed it, Prudent said, and Ferris stated that she shot Siebeck because she was still moving.

Prudent said Schallert and Ferris were in possession of the stolen vehicle and credit cards when they were located. He said the U.S. Marshals Service had been watching the area where the two suspects were found after learning about the shootings in West Frankfort. Prudent said marshals learned that Schallert had relatives in the area where the two were located.

Ferris’ attorney, Jerry Crisel, asked Prudent if the owner of the gun had identified the weapon used, to which he replied the gun belonged to the man’s father, who identified it through special markings he had placed on the gun.

Prudent said the handgun had not been sent to the crime lab yet.

Crisel also asked if Ferris was visible on the videotape obtained from CC Mart. Prudent said she was not visible, but it appeared that there was a second person inside the vehicle when Schallert stopped to get gasoline.

When Crisel asked how the U.S. Marshals were able to locate Schallert and Ferris, Dinn objected. Judge Barry Vaughan overruled the objection, and Prudent said the two were tracked through use of the stolen credit card.

Crisel asked if the videotapes revealed who initiated the plan to kill Siebeck and Majors. Prudent said Ferris did not say who had the idea.

He also asked Prudent who had interviewed Ferris, to which he replied West Frankfort Police Chief Jeff Tharp and investigator Michael Dinn. Tharp and Dinn were in the courtroom.

Vaughan said he found probable cause and set an arraignment date 1:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Vaughan also asked to file a motion to preserve evidence, to which Tom Dinn did not object.

Dinn said earlier in the week that the state is seeking the death penalty in the case. He has 120 days to reconsider.