A parole hearing for John Steven Martin, who murdered two people in 1974, including James Stemmons, former owner of the Airport Package Liquor Store in Carthage is scheduled for Tuesday, August 30, at the South Central Corrections Facility in Licking.
The hearing is the 10th for Martin since 1996.
The families of the murder victims have once again launched a Change.org petition asking that Martin be denied parole. As of this morning, the petition has received 2,278 signatures.
On October 16, 1974, John Martin walked into Ron's Sinclair Service Station in Rolla, MO, with a revolver and robbed the attendant, Melvin Craft, of what cash he had in the drawer. Martin then forced Craft, along with the only customer, Leroy Spencer, to climb over a wall at the rear of the building - telling them to run for their lives.
As they slid down the steep embankment, Martin shot at both men as if he were shooting game. Martin shot and killed Leroy Spencer. Martin shot Craft three times, assuming he was dead. Fortunately, Craft survived and was later able to identify Martin as the murderer.
Thirty-six days after this robbery, on November 21, 1974, Martin and two other men (David Lynn Pugh and Leslie Allen Sanders) robbed Airport Package Liquor Store in Carthage, MO. Martin forced the owner and Carthage businessman, James Stemmons, into his own pickup truck and drove to a wooded area southeast of Carthage along the banks of Jones Creek.
While Stemmons was allowed to relieve himself, Martin shot him three times at point-blank range in the back of the head, as well as his back – with his own gun. First using the shotgun; then, switching to the pistol.
Martin took both guns and the $115 he had stolen from the cash register and left Stemmons on the forest floor. These are well-documented facts. Martin confessed.
In both murder cases Martin entered a plea agreement and was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences. This convicted double murderer has the chance of parole.
Martin's parole hearing is scheduled for August 30, 2022 at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, MO.
By signing this petition you acknowledge that you wish John S. Martin, MO DOC No. 00027228, to continue to serve his life sentence in prison, not in our community!
PLEASE NOTE: THE PAROLE BOARD WILL NOT COUNT ANONYMOUS SIGNATURES, SO PLEASE SIGN ACCORDINGLY! YOUR INFO WILL BE KEPT BY THE BOARD AND NOT SHARED. YOUR HELP IS VERY APPRECIATED!
The petition can be found at this link.
Why is this Criminal even allowed to be up for Parole - he should have received a Sentence of Life WITHOUT Parole - For what he did. Why do all these Judges / Prosecutors / Jurys - - give these Criminals 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, Opportunies to continue to Repeat their Criminal Actions?
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. releases over 7 million people from jail and more than 600,000 people from prison each year. However, recidivism is common. Within 3 years of their release, 2 out of 3 people are rearrested and more than 50% are incarcerated again.Feb 6, 2022
Of course these Numbers are on the Criminals that get Caught Not on if they have Committed another Crime and just haven't been Caught Yet.
Stop being Soft on Crime - Feel Sorry for the Victims not the Criminals.
Disturbing fact of the day:
ReplyDeleteThere are at least two convicted murders alive and in prison with the name John Steven Martin!
This one in Missouri and one convicted of his crime in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has again upheld the conviction of John Steven Martin, who is serving a life sentence for the 1996 murder of Paul Antonich.
Martin was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in the shooting Antonich, whose body was found in the trunk of his own car in a water-filled ditch west of Cloquet. The 17-year-old had been kidnapped, beaten, and shot after a minor car accident in Duluth.
Martin was convicted in 1999. Four other men were also convicted for roles in the crime.
https://www.wdio.com/archive/supreme-court-again-upholds-martins-conviction-in-antonich-murder/