Wright County, MO: Murder suspect was jealous, prosecutor says

Terry Volner needed a place to stay, and Gina Guenther needed some help with baby-sitting.

So Guenther let Volner into her Wright County home, authorities said.

One night earlier this week, Guenther's boyfriend also stayed overnight.

The next day, the body of one of Guenther's children, 4-year-old Dusty, was found submerged in a small, ice-covered lagoon.

"He did this to the child to get at the mother," said Wright County Prosecutor Jason MacPherson .

Volner, 22, was "jealously enraged" over the boyfriend's visit when he allegedly stabbed the boy in the neck, MacPherson said.

MacPherson said Volner also allegedly planned to kill Gina Guenther, her boyfriend and the other three children.

MacPherson said Dusty was left in the small lagoon, also described as a cesspool in documents, behind Guenther's house at Jerktail in northern Wright County. Other family members were accounted for. He said: "They are all safe."

Volner, of Hartville, was charged Thursday with the murder of Dusty Guenther, who turned 4 on Dec. 1.

A probable cause statement said Volner told a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper that he used a folding knife to stab the boy in the neck.

Investigators found that Volner had used a cellphone to call his mother and to claim he had killed a woman, her boyfriend and four children.

When Volner's mother received a photo of the slain boy, she called 911, MacPherson said.

Investigators later viewed the photos and noted an adult's left arm was in front of the camera while, in the background, the 4-year-old lay in tall grass with a laceration to his throat.

On the forearm, the name "Volner" was tattooed in cursive writing, according to the documents.

When authorities arrived at the home off Highway Z in Hartville, Volner was found with what is believed to be a self-inflicted stab wound to the stomach, MacPherson said.

Although the details are sketchy, MacPherson believes Volner was jealous of Gina Guenther's boyfriend.

Mac- Pherson said it isn't clear if Volner and Guenther were romantically involved, but Volner had been staying at the home and baby-sitting her four children.

"He was watching the kids in exchange for a place to stay," MacPherson said.

Noting that Guenther's boyfriend apparently stayed overnight shortly before the killing occurred, MacPherson said: "The motive appears to be revenge."

MacPherson said Volner was treated for the stomach wound and is being held in the Wright County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bond.

Volner is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse. If convicted, Volner could face the death penalty.

Volner, who is being represented by a public defender, is next scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Wright County authorities say they believe Terry Volner has family ties to a group that was charged with an unrelated 2008 murder.