Surveillance footage and license-plate readers led authorities to the Texas couple
At a news conference, Jack Abell, chief deputy commander of the region’s major case squad, said Alyssa Wilson’s car had just passed a white Buick Enclave stopped on the Interstate 170 shoulder when a single gunshot was audible. Abell said someone left the Buick, stood outside briefly and then returned to it. He described what happened next: “There was a gunshot, got back in the vehicle. The vehicle turned its hazards off and continued on.”
Investigators said the security footage captured details that helped authorities identify the suspects. Authorities used that footage and automated license-plate readers to trace the Buick, which carried an out-of-state registration. The trail led them to a Texas couple, Willie Herndon, 43, and his wife, Taiya Herndon, 45. St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith announced Monday that Willie Herndon faced first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in Wilson’s death. Taiya Herndon faced a charge of hindering prosecution.
On Oct. 14, 17-year-old Wilson was traveling southbound on Interstate 170 at about 7 p.m. She was on her way to meet a friend for the St. Louis Zoo’s Halloween festivities, known as Boo at the Zoo. The shooting occurred in Overland, Missouri, a community northwest of St. Louis.
Court records said at least one bullet was fired into the back of Wilson’s vehicle and that the gunfire left her incapacitated. Her vehicle subsequently struck a concrete median barrier. Emergency responders transported Wilson to Barnes-Jewish hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators did not disclose what may have prompted the deadly encounter. Abell said Wilson had no relationship with either Willie Herndon or Taiya Herndon.
During Monday’s press conference, Wilson’s father, Robert Hickman, spoke about the future his daughter would not get to experience. “Alyssa was 17, excited about her life, excited about her future,” he said. “She had 60 days until she turned 18, and we were getting ready to take our first family vacation together to go to Disney for her to see her favorite person in the world, Princess Tiana, and unfortunately, she’s not going to get to do that any more. This was a senseless act.”