Leona was the daughter of Arthur A. and Hattie Lang Turnbow.
Leona was murdered in the Chicken Hut Cafe in Odessa by her estranged husband, Billy Jean Rasberry who then turned the pistol on himself and took his own life.
The Odessa American
Thursday, June 8, 1961
Odessa Man, Wife Shot To Death
by John Sliney
American Staff Writer
An Odessa heavy equipment operator pumped three slugs into his wife in a South Odessa cafe late Wednesday and then turned the pitol on himself and
took his own life.
Leona Turnbow Rasberry died in a pool of blood behind the counter of a rear dining room in the Chicken Hut, 319 South Grant after bullets ripped into her
face, side and back.
Billy Jean Rasberry then placed the murder weapon to his right temple and pulled the trigger as five customers and two waitresses looked on.
Justice of the Peace E. E. Nobles returned an inquest verdict of murder and sucide in the double shooting.
The couple's address was listed as 2016 West Fourth.
Detectives said the 34-year-old restraurant operator was shot once in the right cheek, once in the right side and once in the center of her back with a .38 caliber pistol. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her husband, 40, was shot in the right temple just above his ear, with a bullet making its exit above his left ear. He was also declared dead as he lay in a pool of blood with a cigarette still burning in his hand.
Police said the pistol, with a four inch barrel, was found on the floor between Rasberry's body and the counter which hid the body of his wife. There were four empty shells and two live rounds in the gun.
One of the witnesses to the shootings was Margie Hankins, 400 Drury Lane, who was working in the cafewhen the murder took place about 11:30 p. m. Wednesday.
The 41-year-old waitress said she had just given water andmenus to five customers who had entered the dining area at the rear of the building and walked up to the counter and was drinking coffee with Rasberry and his wife.
"I was making idle talk and I commented that it was sure hot today. Bill said he thought yesterday was hotter," she said.
The watress said Rasberry was sitting on a stool in front of the counter while his wife was standing behind the counter.
"Then I hearf Bill say, ‘Lee, when are we going to get things straightened out?' She asked him what he meant and then she said, ‘You got what you asked for'."
The waitress continued, "He said, ‘Yeah, and you‘re going to get what is coming to you.' This is when he reached in his shirt and pulled out a pistol. She reached over the bar and said ‘Bill, don't do that.'
"Then I reached over and grabbed Bill by the shoulder and asked him to give me the gun."
"This is when he fired the gun two times and hit her in the stomach and some place in the face. She fell back on me sideways and was screaming. I saw Bill stand up, reach over the bar and fire again. She fell to the floor and I ran out to the front and called police." she said.
The other waitress, 30-year-old Lois Maxine Hall, Route One, Odessa, told investigators that Rasberry first sat down at the counter in the front of the cafe and ordered a cup of coffee but walked to the rear of the restraurant before he was served.
"He walked into the back and sat down at the counter and Margie served him the cup of coffee." she said. "Lee walked to the back and put the money on the shelf and got her a cup of coffee. Then Margie walked behind the counter
and got her a cup of coffee.
"They were standing there drinking coffee. Bill ran his hand in his shirt and pulled the gun out of his belt. Lee said, ‘No, Bill' and reached for him. That's when he fired.
I heard two shots and then started to the back. Then I heard two more shots. When I got to the back both of them were on the floor." she said.
Authorities said the five customers in the cafe also told the same story about Rasberry shooting his wife and then taking his own life.
One of the customers, Frank Sullivan, 44, 1324 East Second, told officers he saw Rasberry take his own life.
Said, Sullivan, "After the third shot, I saw Bill (Rasberry) walk back about three steps and put the gun which was in his right hand to his temple and pull the trigger. He fell in his tracks. The gun dropped to the floor as he fell."
Detective Capt. Fred Johnson said the shootings apparently climaxed family arguments which had been brewing for more than a year. He said the couple had been estranged several times recently.
Rasberry had also been arrested on Nov. 2, last year, on an assault with intent to murder charge after he allegedly shot at his wife with a shotgun in the Chicken Hut. But his wife later asked that the complaint be dismissed and he was not prosecuted on the count.
Funeral arrangements were pending at Rix Funeral Home.
Leona was murdered in the Chicken Hut Cafe in Odessa by her estranged husband, Billy Jean Rasberry who then turned the pistol on himself and took his own life.
The Odessa American
Thursday, June 8, 1961
Odessa Man, Wife Shot To Death
by John Sliney
American Staff Writer
An Odessa heavy equipment operator pumped three slugs into his wife in a South Odessa cafe late Wednesday and then turned the pitol on himself and
took his own life.
Leona Turnbow Rasberry died in a pool of blood behind the counter of a rear dining room in the Chicken Hut, 319 South Grant after bullets ripped into her
face, side and back.
Billy Jean Rasberry then placed the murder weapon to his right temple and pulled the trigger as five customers and two waitresses looked on.
Justice of the Peace E. E. Nobles returned an inquest verdict of murder and sucide in the double shooting.
The couple's address was listed as 2016 West Fourth.
Detectives said the 34-year-old restraurant operator was shot once in the right cheek, once in the right side and once in the center of her back with a .38 caliber pistol. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her husband, 40, was shot in the right temple just above his ear, with a bullet making its exit above his left ear. He was also declared dead as he lay in a pool of blood with a cigarette still burning in his hand.
Police said the pistol, with a four inch barrel, was found on the floor between Rasberry's body and the counter which hid the body of his wife. There were four empty shells and two live rounds in the gun.
One of the witnesses to the shootings was Margie Hankins, 400 Drury Lane, who was working in the cafewhen the murder took place about 11:30 p. m. Wednesday.
The 41-year-old waitress said she had just given water andmenus to five customers who had entered the dining area at the rear of the building and walked up to the counter and was drinking coffee with Rasberry and his wife.
"I was making idle talk and I commented that it was sure hot today. Bill said he thought yesterday was hotter," she said.
The watress said Rasberry was sitting on a stool in front of the counter while his wife was standing behind the counter.
"Then I hearf Bill say, ‘Lee, when are we going to get things straightened out?' She asked him what he meant and then she said, ‘You got what you asked for'."
The waitress continued, "He said, ‘Yeah, and you‘re going to get what is coming to you.' This is when he reached in his shirt and pulled out a pistol. She reached over the bar and said ‘Bill, don't do that.'
"Then I reached over and grabbed Bill by the shoulder and asked him to give me the gun."
"This is when he fired the gun two times and hit her in the stomach and some place in the face. She fell back on me sideways and was screaming. I saw Bill stand up, reach over the bar and fire again. She fell to the floor and I ran out to the front and called police." she said.
The other waitress, 30-year-old Lois Maxine Hall, Route One, Odessa, told investigators that Rasberry first sat down at the counter in the front of the cafe and ordered a cup of coffee but walked to the rear of the restraurant before he was served.
"He walked into the back and sat down at the counter and Margie served him the cup of coffee." she said. "Lee walked to the back and put the money on the shelf and got her a cup of coffee. Then Margie walked behind the counter
and got her a cup of coffee.
"They were standing there drinking coffee. Bill ran his hand in his shirt and pulled the gun out of his belt. Lee said, ‘No, Bill' and reached for him. That's when he fired.
I heard two shots and then started to the back. Then I heard two more shots. When I got to the back both of them were on the floor." she said.
Authorities said the five customers in the cafe also told the same story about Rasberry shooting his wife and then taking his own life.
One of the customers, Frank Sullivan, 44, 1324 East Second, told officers he saw Rasberry take his own life.
Said, Sullivan, "After the third shot, I saw Bill (Rasberry) walk back about three steps and put the gun which was in his right hand to his temple and pull the trigger. He fell in his tracks. The gun dropped to the floor as he fell."
Detective Capt. Fred Johnson said the shootings apparently climaxed family arguments which had been brewing for more than a year. He said the couple had been estranged several times recently.
Rasberry had also been arrested on Nov. 2, last year, on an assault with intent to murder charge after he allegedly shot at his wife with a shotgun in the Chicken Hut. But his wife later asked that the complaint be dismissed and he was not prosecuted on the count.
Funeral arrangements were pending at Rix Funeral Home.
Leona was the daughter of Arthur A. and Hattie Lang Turnbow.
Leona was murdered in the Chicken Hut Cafe in Odessa by her estranged husband, Billy Jean Rasberry who then turned the pistol on himself and took his own life.
The Odessa American
Thursday, June 8, 1961
Odessa Man, Wife Shot To Death
by John Sliney
American Staff Writer
An Odessa heavy equipment operator pumped three slugs into his wife in a South Odessa cafe late Wednesday and then turned the pitol on himself and
took his own life.
Leona Turnbow Rasberry died in a pool of blood behind the counter of a rear dining room in the Chicken Hut, 319 South Grant after bullets ripped into her
face, side and back.
Billy Jean Rasberry then placed the murder weapon to his right temple and pulled the trigger as five customers and two waitresses looked on.
Justice of the Peace E. E. Nobles returned an inquest verdict of murder and sucide in the double shooting.
The couple's address was listed as 2016 West Fourth.
Detectives said the 34-year-old restraurant operator was shot once in the right cheek, once in the right side and once in the center of her back with a .38 caliber pistol. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her husband, 40, was shot in the right temple just above his ear, with a bullet making its exit above his left ear. He was also declared dead as he lay in a pool of blood with a cigarette still burning in his hand.
Police said the pistol, with a four inch barrel, was found on the floor between Rasberry's body and the counter which hid the body of his wife. There were four empty shells and two live rounds in the gun.
One of the witnesses to the shootings was Margie Hankins, 400 Drury Lane, who was working in the cafewhen the murder took place about 11:30 p. m. Wednesday.
The 41-year-old waitress said she had just given water andmenus to five customers who had entered the dining area at the rear of the building and walked up to the counter and was drinking coffee with Rasberry and his wife.
"I was making idle talk and I commented that it was sure hot today. Bill said he thought yesterday was hotter," she said.
The watress said Rasberry was sitting on a stool in front of the counter while his wife was standing behind the counter.
"Then I hearf Bill say, ‘Lee, when are we going to get things straightened out?' She asked him what he meant and then she said, ‘You got what you asked for'."
The waitress continued, "He said, ‘Yeah, and you‘re going to get what is coming to you.' This is when he reached in his shirt and pulled out a pistol. She reached over the bar and said ‘Bill, don't do that.'
"Then I reached over and grabbed Bill by the shoulder and asked him to give me the gun."
"This is when he fired the gun two times and hit her in the stomach and some place in the face. She fell back on me sideways and was screaming. I saw Bill stand up, reach over the bar and fire again. She fell to the floor and I ran out to the front and called police." she said.
The other waitress, 30-year-old Lois Maxine Hall, Route One, Odessa, told investigators that Rasberry first sat down at the counter in the front of the cafe and ordered a cup of coffee but walked to the rear of the restraurant before he was served.
"He walked into the back and sat down at the counter and Margie served him the cup of coffee." she said. "Lee walked to the back and put the money on the shelf and got her a cup of coffee. Then Margie walked behind the counter
and got her a cup of coffee.
"They were standing there drinking coffee. Bill ran his hand in his shirt and pulled the gun out of his belt. Lee said, ‘No, Bill' and reached for him. That's when he fired.
I heard two shots and then started to the back. Then I heard two more shots. When I got to the back both of them were on the floor." she said.
Authorities said the five customers in the cafe also told the same story about Rasberry shooting his wife and then taking his own life.
One of the customers, Frank Sullivan, 44, 1324 East Second, told officers he saw Rasberry take his own life.
Said, Sullivan, "After the third shot, I saw Bill (Rasberry) walk back about three steps and put the gun which was in his right hand to his temple and pull the trigger. He fell in his tracks. The gun dropped to the floor as he fell."
Detective Capt. Fred Johnson said the shootings apparently climaxed family arguments which had been brewing for more than a year. He said the couple had been estranged several times recently.
Rasberry had also been arrested on Nov. 2, last year, on an assault with intent to murder charge after he allegedly shot at his wife with a shotgun in the Chicken Hut. But his wife later asked that the complaint be dismissed and he was not prosecuted on the count.
Funeral arrangements were pending at Rix Funeral Home.
Leona was murdered in the Chicken Hut Cafe in Odessa by her estranged husband, Billy Jean Rasberry who then turned the pistol on himself and took his own life.
The Odessa American
Thursday, June 8, 1961
Odessa Man, Wife Shot To Death
by John Sliney
American Staff Writer
An Odessa heavy equipment operator pumped three slugs into his wife in a South Odessa cafe late Wednesday and then turned the pitol on himself and
took his own life.
Leona Turnbow Rasberry died in a pool of blood behind the counter of a rear dining room in the Chicken Hut, 319 South Grant after bullets ripped into her
face, side and back.
Billy Jean Rasberry then placed the murder weapon to his right temple and pulled the trigger as five customers and two waitresses looked on.
Justice of the Peace E. E. Nobles returned an inquest verdict of murder and sucide in the double shooting.
The couple's address was listed as 2016 West Fourth.
Detectives said the 34-year-old restraurant operator was shot once in the right cheek, once in the right side and once in the center of her back with a .38 caliber pistol. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her husband, 40, was shot in the right temple just above his ear, with a bullet making its exit above his left ear. He was also declared dead as he lay in a pool of blood with a cigarette still burning in his hand.
Police said the pistol, with a four inch barrel, was found on the floor between Rasberry's body and the counter which hid the body of his wife. There were four empty shells and two live rounds in the gun.
One of the witnesses to the shootings was Margie Hankins, 400 Drury Lane, who was working in the cafewhen the murder took place about 11:30 p. m. Wednesday.
The 41-year-old waitress said she had just given water andmenus to five customers who had entered the dining area at the rear of the building and walked up to the counter and was drinking coffee with Rasberry and his wife.
"I was making idle talk and I commented that it was sure hot today. Bill said he thought yesterday was hotter," she said.
The watress said Rasberry was sitting on a stool in front of the counter while his wife was standing behind the counter.
"Then I hearf Bill say, ‘Lee, when are we going to get things straightened out?' She asked him what he meant and then she said, ‘You got what you asked for'."
The waitress continued, "He said, ‘Yeah, and you‘re going to get what is coming to you.' This is when he reached in his shirt and pulled out a pistol. She reached over the bar and said ‘Bill, don't do that.'
"Then I reached over and grabbed Bill by the shoulder and asked him to give me the gun."
"This is when he fired the gun two times and hit her in the stomach and some place in the face. She fell back on me sideways and was screaming. I saw Bill stand up, reach over the bar and fire again. She fell to the floor and I ran out to the front and called police." she said.
The other waitress, 30-year-old Lois Maxine Hall, Route One, Odessa, told investigators that Rasberry first sat down at the counter in the front of the cafe and ordered a cup of coffee but walked to the rear of the restraurant before he was served.
"He walked into the back and sat down at the counter and Margie served him the cup of coffee." she said. "Lee walked to the back and put the money on the shelf and got her a cup of coffee. Then Margie walked behind the counter
and got her a cup of coffee.
"They were standing there drinking coffee. Bill ran his hand in his shirt and pulled the gun out of his belt. Lee said, ‘No, Bill' and reached for him. That's when he fired.
I heard two shots and then started to the back. Then I heard two more shots. When I got to the back both of them were on the floor." she said.
Authorities said the five customers in the cafe also told the same story about Rasberry shooting his wife and then taking his own life.
One of the customers, Frank Sullivan, 44, 1324 East Second, told officers he saw Rasberry take his own life.
Said, Sullivan, "After the third shot, I saw Bill (Rasberry) walk back about three steps and put the gun which was in his right hand to his temple and pull the trigger. He fell in his tracks. The gun dropped to the floor as he fell."
Detective Capt. Fred Johnson said the shootings apparently climaxed family arguments which had been brewing for more than a year. He said the couple had been estranged several times recently.
Rasberry had also been arrested on Nov. 2, last year, on an assault with intent to murder charge after he allegedly shot at his wife with a shotgun in the Chicken Hut. But his wife later asked that the complaint be dismissed and he was not prosecuted on the count.
Funeral arrangements were pending at Rix Funeral Home.
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