Facebook Alex Chute and Brianna Sproul
Four people have been charged in connection with the murder of couple Alex Chute, 28, and Brianna Sproul, 30, who were found murdered on their home’s front porch last month in Willard, Missouri. One of the four individuals charged is Theresa Cox, Chute’s ex-wife, and prosecutors believe she orchestrated the couple’s murder.
Cox, 27, and Chute were in the midst of a custody battle over their 4-year-old daughter at the time of the murders, Springfield News-Leader reported. Prosecutors said that Cox’s new partner, 20-year-old Duncan “Mixxi” Bogle, was recruited by Cox to carry out the shooting, the outlet reported based on court documents.
The other two charged in the double homicide are Matthew Plumb, 43, who is accused of providing Cox with an alibi and getting rid of the murder weapon, and his relative Therin Plumb, who is believed to have helped him dispose of the weapon, prosecutors said.
Cox Was Charged With Murder & Was Arrested in San Francisco on December 8
Chute, 28, and Sproul, 30, were both found dead of gunshot wounds on the morning of November 14 but from the onset, investigators said they thought the couple was “targeted” and not victims of a random act of violence, KY3 reported at the time. Earlier this month, authorities revealed that they believed Cox recruited Plumb, her coworker at the Springfield Pizza Hut on West Chestnut Expressway, to help murder her ex-husband, Springfield News-Leader wrote.
Although court documents alleged that Cox was the mastermind behind the plan and her partner Bogle had carried out the act, only Plumb was arrested on December 2 and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, armed criminal action and evidence tampering, the outlet reported. Court documents stated that Plumb’s role was to give Cox an alibi for the time of the shooting, help her report her gun stolen a few days before and then dispose of it after the crime.
Plumb’s relative, Therin Plumb, was also arrested and charged with evidence tampering for helping to get rid of the gun, the News-Leader wrote. On December 8, Cox and Bogle were arrested in San Francisco and they are now both in jail in that state. Willard Police Chief Tom McClain said there’s no specific date for the couple to be extradited to Missouri but it could be in a few weeks, KY3 reported.
Cox faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and armed criminal action, public records show. Bogle is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and endangering the welfare of a child. Chute’s 4-year-old daughter was in the bathroom in his home when the killing took place, News-Leader reported.
Chute, a Militar Veteran, & Sproul Had Been Dating a Couple of Years
A GoFundMe was set up by Chute’s family to cover his funeral expenses and raised over $6,000 so far. According to Chute’s Facebook, he and Sproul had been dating since December 25, 2017. Prior to that, he was married to Cox but filed for divorce two years ago, KY3 reported at the time. The two had been in the middle of a custody dispute over their 4-year-old daughter.
Chute’s mother Lisa Pini told the Springfield News-Leader that her son had served in the Missouri National Guard and would be buried with full honors. She said, “He absolutely loved being a father. His daughter was just his everything. He was very good with her. He loved to play with her.”
After Cox’s arrest, Pini told KY3: “Ever since the first arrest happened you know we’ve all been kind of heightened and waiting to hear more. We were told be patient, be patient. You know you kind of run out of patience after a while. The call came Tuesday on what had happened and it was like a sigh of relief. There was some definite relief there.”
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