A Missouri family is grieving after authorities say a minor neighborhood dispute turned deadly, leaving a mother and one of her teenage identical twin daughters fatally wounded.
Jessica Lashly, 38, and her 17-year-old daughter, Jersey Greer, were shot in the head Saturday night outside their home in House Springs, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said 73-year-old Robert Winkelman went to Lashly’s residence and confronted her with questions about alleged activity at the property.
During the exchange, Lashly reportedly made a remark that appeared to upset Winkelman, prompting him to draw a firearm and shoot her, authorities said in their preliminary findings.
Greer ran toward her mother in an attempt to help, but Winkelman allegedly opened fire on the teenager as well.
Deputies said Winkelman, still armed, also chased a third person who has not been publicly identified. That individual was able to escape without injury.
As deputies moved in to confront him, Winkelman allegedly returned to the area outside his own home and shot himself, the sheriff’s office said.
Lashly and Greer were rushed to Mercy Hospital South in critical condition. Both died Monday after relatives made the decision to remove them from life support.
Winkelman has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Jessica Lashly, 38, was shot in the head outside her House Springs, Missouri, home on Saturday night
Lashly’s 17-year-old daughter Jersey Greer, left, was also killed in the violent dispute. Greer’s twin sister Justice, right, was at work at the time of the attack
Preliminary investigation revealed that Winkelman had ‘ongoing frustrations’ with activities occurring at Lashly’s residence.
Authorities have not disclosed what activities allegedly upset him, but one neighbor told the St Louis Post-Dispatch that Winkelman did not approve of how Lashly and her family maintained the property.
Robert Winkelman, 73, has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action
Greer’s twin sister, Justice, was at work at the time of the deadly attack, her aunt Sara Lashly told the newspaper.
Sara said the twins and their mother ‘were always together,’ noting that her heart now breaks for the surviving teenager.
‘That poor baby,’ she said of Justice. ‘She just lost her whole world right there.’
A GoFundMe has been established to help Justice and her family with medical bills and funeral expenses.
Lashly worked for her family’s tree-cutting business, which services homes across greater Jefferson County.
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She was a seemingly dedicated mother, describing herself in her Instagram bio as the ‘proud mother of Justice Ann & Jersey Lynn.’
Both twins attended Northwest High School in nearby Cedar Hill and played on the women’s lacrosse team.
Lashly was a dedicated mother, describing herself in her Instagram bio as the ‘proud mother of Justice Ann & Jersey Lynn’
The twins attended Northwest High School in nearby Cedar Hill and played on the women’s lacrosse team
‘She was very sweet, easy to talk to,’ Sara said of Greer. ‘She was getting ready to go into her senior year. She worked hard, played sports. I don’t know how she had the time to do everything.’
Another aunt, Christina Greer, hailed Greer’s final act of kindness.
‘Even in the last moments, she knew that she had to protect others, and that’s just what she does,’ Christina told KPLR.
Lindsay Palmer, who is associated with the school’s lacrosse program, said she is ‘absolutely shattered’ by the loss of Greer and Lashly.
‘There are simply no words that make any of this make sense,’ Palmer wrote on Facebook.
‘Jersey girl… the joy, laughter, and light you brought into my life were truly unmatched. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You had a way of making everyone around you smile, and your presence was something so special.’
The team honored the teen by giving her family a lacrosse stick covered with signatures from her teammates.
They also flooded the hospital halls while Lashly and Greer were on life support, and were the driving force behind the crowdfunding campaign – which has already amassed more than $37,000 in donations.
Winkelman shot Lashly and Greer outside their home after confronting them about ‘activities’ that were allegedly occurring at the property, police said
The twins’ uncle, Victor Greer, also paid tribute to his niece and sister before publicly condemning Winkelman for his alleged senseless act of violence.
‘Rest in paradise, my sweet Jersey girl and sister Jess,’ he wrote. Until we meet again. I will love you both forever.’
In a separate post, Victor added: ‘F*** YOU! Robert Winkelman, you low-life piece of s*** scum. I hope you rot in prison until you die.’
He blasted Winkelman for allegedly taking away his ‘little sweet innocent niece’ and vowed that the 73-year-old would soon ‘get yours, you didn’t escape from what you have done.’
- If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
