A 2004 double homicide in Raytown continues to be notable for reasons apart from the appalling nature of the crime.
John and Mildred Caylor were stabbed to death inside the Bible store they operated on East 63rd Street. Believing that a robbery had turned deadly, investigators used DNA found at the crime scene to identify an ex-con named Kellen McKinney as the suspect.
The murders formed the basis of a (sub)urban legend. Several weeks after the Caylors were killed, a story circulated on the Internet about the daughter of murdered Bible store owners who insisted on swearing to God in a courtroom.
In the telling, the daughter testifies at a murder trial. The bailiff asks: "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
I stood there and waited but she said nothing. She said, "Do you?" I was so stunned, I blurted out "What happened to 'so help me God'?" She came back with, "Do you?" I replied yes, but I was perplexed.The daughter then goes on to complain about God being removed from courtrooms and the "catering" that wall-of-separation hard-liners receive.
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After sitting through the entire trial I have to say it was evident from the DNA found at the scene that Kellen McKinney was guilty.
Evidence regarding his multiple attenpts of getting away from jail and the extreme and unusual manner in which he did so only proved his character and intent.
Every time this story comes up it is like a knife in the heart of those family members left behind.
This State needs to be tougher on those who choose to take the life of another. What happened to the Death Penalty? Our tax dollars will now support this man for the rest of his life - you call that justice?
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