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Murder suspects caught

Two Coconino County Sheriff’s Department detectives have caught the couple suspected of murdering a man eight miles south of Williams.

The suspects — Jimmy Lynn Odom, 36, of Newton, Texas and Donna Rae Lankford, 33, of Kirbyville, Texas, are wanted in connection with the homicide of Mesa resident Duard Lee Stanphill, 63, who was found dead at his Whitehorse Lake campsite on Sept. 13.

“They had a massive manhunt ongoing since last Wednesday night,” said Sgt. Jeff Drayton, detective for CCSD. “They were out in a very thickly wooded area. They were found in a makeshift camping area and were arrested without incident.”

They are also wanted in connection to a missing person, Debbie Valdez, who was in the process of moving from California to New Mexico. Valdez was suppose to be sworn in as a McKinley County (New Mexico) Sheriff’s Office deputy last Monday and is believed to be dead.

“The two suspects have admitted involvement in her slaying and have told deputies where her body could be found,” said Drayton.

CCSD detectives Tim Cornelius and Paul Teran are the two detectives who apprehended the couple in Hardin County, Texas. After preliminary interviews with Odom and Lankford, authorities say Odom admitted he was involved in the murders.

On Sept. 11, detectives believe Odom and Lankford met Stanphill, who was retired and camping in the area, at the Canyon Club bar in downtown Williams. From there, they believe the victim took the couple back to his campsite. Witnesses at the bar and other campers place the three together on Sept. 11.

On Sept. 13, CCSD received notice of Stanphill’s body found on Forest Service Road No. 110 with severe trauma to the head. This road leads to Whitehorse Lake off Fourth Street. He was also shot.

After leaving Williams, the couple headed east. They ditched their maroon Ford Tempo near the new home of Valdez and apparently took her minivan, which was later found in west Texas and contained two weapons belonging to Stanphill. Valdez’s body had not been discovered as of Tuesday.

Detectives interviewed a trucker who gave the couple a ride most of the way to Houston and also found receipts from hotel rooms. The lucky break came when a relative tipped off authorities about the couples’ whereabouts.

“That was really our first tip to really where they were,” said Cornelius, in an interview in the Sept. 25 Daily Sun. “At that point, we were about 25 minutes behind them.”

It didn’t take long for the detectives to find where the couple, who had married four months before, were hiding. They were unarmed and did not resist arrest. Cornelius said the couple doesn’t want to fight extradition and are willing to return to Arizona.

The couple will be charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, first-degree burglary armed robbery and theft.


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