A Mississippi man accused of killing two women there before shooting three other people in a multistate crime spree is scheduled for a Friday appearance before a judge in Kansas, where he was captured after a fiery crash.
Alex Bridges Deaton, 28, of Brandon, is being held on bail of $5 million in Ellsworth County, Kansas, where he is accused of shooting a convenience store clerk last week and stealing the man's car. KSNW-TV in Wichita reported that Deaton is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, theft and attempting to elude a police officer.
He is also charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Mississippi, where authorities allege he killed his girlfriend after she broke up with him.
Riley Juel, who had worked at the Kwik Shop in Pratt, Kansas, for just two months, told KSNW-TV from his hospital bed that it was a typical early morning shift on March 1 when Deaton walked up to the store counter and demanded his car keys at gunpoint. Juel said he complied, getting the keys from his jacket pocket.
"I was just scared for my life," Juel said.
Deaton took the keys, pulled his gun on Juel again and fired into his stomach at point-blank range, Juel said. He then fled in the injured clerk’s Cadillac.
Juel stayed alert long enough to grab his cellphone and call 911, KSNW-TV reported.
The subsequent chase involving the Kansas Highway Patrol was the culmination of a weeklong crime spree that authorities say began the night of Feb. 22, when investigators in Rankin County, Mississippi, believe that Deaton strangled his estranged girlfriend, Heather Robinson, in her apartment. WLBT in Jackson reported that Robinson, a 30-year-old registered nurse, worked until about 7 that night in the emergency room of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Robinson later had a text conversation with a friend, in which she mentioned that she and Deaton had broken up, the news station reported.
Robinson’s body was found in her apartment two days later when a family member, accompanied by a deputy, went to check on her. By that time, according to investigators, two other crimes had been committed that would be linked to Deaton.
Brenda Pinter, 69, was shot to death the evening of Feb. 23 inside Dixon Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Mississippi, about 75 miles from Robinson’s home in Brandon. Though investigators said Pinter and Deaton were not connected, Deaton has family in the area and once worked in Philadelphia.
Surveillance footage from outside the church showed a white SUV similar to one owned by Robinson -- and allegedly used by Deaton after her death -- pull into the church parking lot after Pinter had arrived to clean the church.
According to the Clarion-Ledger, Pinter's husband found her body later that evening when she failed to return home.
Around 5 a.m. the next day, and about 11 hours before Robinson’s body was found, a man fitting Deaton’s description shot and injured a jogger running about a mile from Robinson’s apartment in Brandon. In that case, as well, a white SUV similar to Robinson’s was used in the crime.
Deaton remained off the radar that weekend, except for a text to his mother and a sighting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, authorities said.
He was next spotted the evening of Feb. 28 in Sandoval County, New Mexico, where he is accused of carjacking a couple and forcing them into the trunk of a car. In a 911 call released by New Mexico authorities, victim Devon Philo described for a dispatcher what happened when Deaton ambushed Philo and his girlfriend at the La Luz trailhead near Albuquerque.
"A man just shot me and I think he killed my girlfriend," Philo told the dispatcher in the call, audio of which was obtained by KRQE in Albuquerque.
Deaton is accused of forcing Philo, 19, and Sara Reeves, 18, into the trunk of a Honda Accord the couple borrowed from Reeves’ parents, according to the news station. They managed to escape the trunk, but the gunman shot Philo in the backside as they ran in opposite directions.
He chased and recaptured Reeves, investigators said.
Though Philo told the dispatcher he thought his girlfriend was killed, Reeves was still alive and unharmed. She managed to escape Deaton a second time when he stole another vehicle from a nearby home.
Deaton drove that vehicle away from the house, but stopped and took the Reeves family’s Honda, which Philo had left running as he ran away to call for help. In his frantic 911 call, Philo told dispatchers that Deaton was “still out there” and that he still had guns.
"I know he's shooting to kill. He's killed Sara, I think," Philo said.
At one point in the call, Philo told the dispatcher about a truck the gunman had left behind, which he thought had broken down. He described the vehicle as a white Acadia, the same color and model SUV owned by Robinson.
The Reeves family's stolen Honda was recovered in Kansas.
It was not immediately clear on Monday what charges Deaton will face in New Mexico. Mississippi authorities sought to have him extradited home to face the charges there.
Deaton’s family expressed shock, sadness and horror in a statement released the day after his capture.
"We are devastated and completely heartbroken for all that has happened," the statement read, according to WLBT. "Our family is in a state of disbelief. We don't understand why or how this could ever happen and are just thankful it has now come to an end. Although we know that nothing can change the events that have happened, we pray for the victims, their families and communities to find peace and comfort in the coming days. We have and will continue to assist law enforcement during this process."
In its own pair of statements, Robinson’s family expressed gratitude for the law enforcement officers who captured Deaton, who was taken into custody on the day of her funeral. They also expressed anguish at their loss.
“Our lives are forever changed, and words cannot express our pain and sorrow. For those that did not know Heather, she had a BS degree in nursing and enjoyed her career in the medical field. She was a very hard-working and determined young lady and held respect for all. At this point, we ask that our privacy be respected so we can grieve as a family.”
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