Trial date set for Joplin man accused of murdering woman, shooting his wife

 

A September 13 trial date has been set in Jasper County Circuit Court for a Joplin man charged with first degree murder, first degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the June 10, 2015 death of Carissa L. Gerard, 38, Joplin.

Three weeks have been set aside for the trial.

Prosecutors allege Stephen Thompson, 60, drove to Oklahoma to buy a shotgun and ammunition went to where his wife was living at W. 26th Place June 10, 2015, violating a protection order, and shot and killed Gerard, 38, who was living with her, then turned the gun on his wife, Kristina S. Thompson, 38, and shot her multiple times as she was trying to run from him.

Three weeks have been set aside for the trial.

Thompson's former wife told the story on a Go Fund Me site in 2015:

On June 10th 2015, my husband who had an ex parte filed on him by me, entered my home carrying a 12 gauge shotgun and opened up my bedroom door raised the gun took aim, fired and shot my friend Carrissa (Girard).

We escaped out the window of my room. She ran to the privacy fence climbed over and dropped down and died.

I ran to the fence and was shot multiple times- the worst when I was at the top of the fence and getting ready to drop down.

He shot me close range in the abdomen with bird shot. I was blown apart. I crab crawled to the neighbors back door holding my guts in and banged my head on the door. They pulled me in and I am alive still.

My 17-year-old witnessed all of this. He was unharmed physically. I was in a coma for two months and on ventilator. I coded several times, received dialysis and shouldn't be alive. I lost three toes, some intestines and some of my liver, too. I have a massive scar on my tummy.

The shootings took place following a series of domestic violence incidents in the Thompson home, including domestic assault charges that filed against him January 1, 2013, when he a police report alleges he stabbed his wife's half brother and choked her after he accused the two of having sex. Both denied that anything sexual had taken place between them.

Online Jasper County Circuit Court records indicate the ex-parte order went into effect May 26, 2015 with a full order of protection issued five days after Thompson allegedly shot his wife.