A Festus man is in jail without bond, charged with first-degree murder after his wife was found shot dead inside their home on Thursday morning, November 5. Todd M. Capstick, 55, of Festus, is charged with Murder in the First Degree and Armed Criminal Action for allegedly shooting and killing his wife, Dawn M. Capstick, 56, also of Festus, at their home south of Festus, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said. He is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.

Source: My Mo Info, reporting the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

According to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Public Safety Information Coordinator Grant Bissell, deputies were dispatched to the home shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday. A deputy had responded at about 9 a.m. for a welfare check after reports of a possible shooting at the residence, which is in the 3100 block of U.S. Highway 61. The deputy entered the residence and, at about 9:15 a.m., found a 56-year-old woman who had apparently been shot multiple times.

Source: N' Cuffs, reporting the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

The case moved fast because the suspect was already gone. A 911 caller reported that the suspect had left the residence in a vehicle, and investigators gathered information about the vehicles owned by the couple. In a collaborative effort, U.S. Marshals located Capstick in Cape Girardeau — roughly 100 miles south of Festus — and took him into custody at 10:01 a.m., about an hour after deputies were first dispatched. He was first lodged at the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office and then transported to the Jefferson County Jail, where he remains incarcerated on no bond.

What the sheriff's office says

Sheriff Dave Marshak said Capstick is being held without bond in the Jefferson County jail. Marshak thanked Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski and her staff for quickly obtaining an in-custody warrant, calling the case an outstanding example of interagency cooperation within the justice system. Public Safety Information Coordinator Grant Bissell complimented the police work that led to tracking down Capstick and taking him into custody. The sheriff's office says the investigation is ongoing.

The charges, in plain terms

First-degree murder is the most serious homicide charge in Missouri, reserved for a killing alleged to have been committed knowingly and after deliberation; armed criminal action is an additional felony charge Missouri prosecutors attach when a deadly weapon is alleged to have been used in committing a felony. Both charges in this case rest, at this stage, on the sheriff's office investigation and the warrant obtained by the prosecuting attorney. The sheriff's office has not publicly released a motive, the type of firearm involved, or any statement attributed to the accused.

The community and the corridor

Festus is a small city in Jefferson County, south of St. Louis, sitting along the U.S. Highway 61 corridor that links the county's towns to the metropolitan area. The home at the centre of the case is in the 3100 block of that highway, south of Festus. News of a homicide investigation, a manhunt that reached Cape Girardeau and an arrest within about an hour of the first dispatch has shaken the local community, where the sheriff's office is the lead law-enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of the county.

What happens next

Capstick remains in the Jefferson County Jail without bond and is expected to make a first appearance in court in Jefferson County, where a judge will address the charges and the question of bond. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says its investigation is ongoing, and further details — including any probable-cause statement filed with the court — are expected to emerge through the court process. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when the court releases new information.