Martha D. Mohr and Kevin L. Jones: Needham Township: 1980

  

   It was one of those warm days in May that make you think it’s July in Indiana. Martha Mohr, 20, had the day off from her job at Service Merchandise and was sunbathing in a two piece swimsuit like most young women do on a day like that. I know that was a favorite pastime of mine when I was her age. May 27th, 1980 was a beautiful sunny day. 

  

  Martha and her boyfriend, Tony Stafford, 27, lived near Shelbyville, Indiana in a little house on a farm on Hurricane road. Her parents were not too happy about them just living together but they had come to accept it. Times were changing. Tony did farm work there and the housing came with the job. It was a housing situation that they could afford as they started off life together. 

  Tony came home at the end of the work day but couldn’t find her.  He looked around the place.  He went to his landlord Norman Brewer to use the phone and called the police and reported her missing. The couple did not have a phone yet at their home. Martha hadn’t taken her purse, any clothes or shoes. Tony was immediately very worried.  

  Martha Diane Mohr was born on April 6th 1960 to Norman and Edith (Coffey) Mohr. She grew up in Indiana. She had graduated from high school only two years before. Her life as an adult was just getting started.

   A farm worker found her body early in the morning on May 30th.   She was actually not too far from home.  In fact, her trailer could be seen from the spot where her body was found near a barn. She was still wearing her bathing suit.

   Her boyfriend, Tony Stafford, was questioned by police.  It became obvious that he had not known where she was and had not had anything to do with her death.

  An autopsy was performed at the Johnson County Hospital Morgue. Martha D. Mohr had been killed by a gunshot wound to the head.  

  Martha’s employer, Service Merchandise, offered a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in her murder. She had not worked there long but she was valued and well liked by her coworkers there. 

   Richard A. Yeager was 34. He had worked as a real estate agent in Wanamaker, Indiana. (Wanamaker is a suburb on the southeast side of Indianapolis. The Marion County Fairgrounds are there.) Richard Yeager had played saxophone in his high school band and was on the wrestling team and seemed like an all around nice guy. 

  He was definitely not a nice guy, though. On November 14th,1979 he shot and murdered Kevin L. Jones. Police were closing in on him as a suspect in that murder in the Spring of 1980.

  So, he was already a murderer when he approached Martha Mohr’s home that day in May. 

  He abducted Martha and took her about a mile away to a barn.  He shot her in the head. 

  On June 16th 1980, he forced his way into the home of a Greenwood, Indiana woman. He tied her up and told her he’d kill her baby if she screamed or tried to escape. He then went out and put his car in the garage of her home. He cut off her clothes with a knife. He then viciously assaulted her at gunpoint. 

  He also attacked two women working at Mama’s pizza and stole money from the register. In 1979 and 1980, it seems, he was on a violent spree. 

  At first he pled innocent to all his crimes. Ballistics connected him to the murders, however, and he eventually pled guilty and confessed. He was sentenced to 50 years for Martha’s murder.  He had several other charges at the time from other crimes. He spent much of 1980 in courtrooms. He was given other sentences for the home invasion/rape of the woman in Greenwood and for the murder of Kevin L. Jones in November of 1979. 

  Because of a plea deal arrangement he was to serve all his sentences concurrently. He would be eligible for release much earlier than the 50 years. If he had good behavior in prison, he could be free much, much sooner. 

  He was still alive in 1997 when he was mentioned as a survivor in a family member’s obituary. I have not seen any death notice or obituary for him. He is not listed in the Indiana Incarcerated database. So, it looks like Richard A. Yeager is free to enjoy his golden years. What has he been up to lately while he’s been free?

   Martha Diane Mohr was only 20 when her life was viciously ended in a terrifying attack. Kevin L. Jones was also only 20. They deserved long lives full of memories with family and friends. They should be here now enjoying their golden years. 

  The other victims who survived attacks and assaults by Yeager deserved a peaceful life without this trauma. Trauma changes everything and affects every aspect of a person’s life. The loved ones of Martha and Kevin and all these victims also deserved a life of freedom from this pain and anguish.

   Rest in peace, Martha Mohr and Kevin Jones.