A group of four strippers are accused of murdering a man who had bought them a new tire and allowed them to stay in his home while he changed it, leading to first degree murder charges.
Police in Missouri said the group of four women had come across a 55-year-old named Ralph Cross, who had bought them a new tire after theirs went flat and was working on changing it for them. The women — 28-year-old Brittany Curry, 23-year-old Ponesha Taylor, 19-year-old Johneisha Simmons, and 23-year-old Lauteshia Dotson — hailed from Memphis and Nashville and were the last people seen at the victim’s home before he was found murdered, Fox 13 reports .
While police believe that the women used a 9mm handgun to kill Cross with a shot to his back, there are not many other details of the crime yet available. A witness said he heard a noise coming from the victim’s home and then saw the group of women leave and enter a white car.
There were signs that the home had been robbed, the New York Daily News reported, with couch cushions overturned and the victim’s pant pockets turned out.
Police had some image of the strippers on surveillance footage and aired it on local media in an attempt to get the women to turn themselves in. The gambit worked, as the group of four strippers turned themselves into the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office the next day, but did not admit to the murder, the New York Daily News reported.
The case has gained nationwide attention, especially after police shared photos of the women and asked the public for help. The fact that the women were accused of killing a man who had taken them into his home and paid for a new tire also sparked outrage from commenters as the story was shared across social media.
No good deed for strippers goes … https://t.co/4qQrluUGLc
— Barry Werner (@Steviecade) August 5, 2017
Strippers at large; wanted for questioning in murder investigation >> https://t.co/kk6Sei8M5Q #wmc5 pic.twitter.com/CEoDHf6DAf
— Action News 5 (@WMCActionNews5) August 3, 2017
The four strippers accused of killing the man who helped change their tire are being held in separate holding facilities and were not given bond, the New York Daily News reported. They are charged with first degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon.
[Featured Image by grandriver/iStock]
