PHILIP WHITMARSH
02-06-1950 – 12-22-1981
By Nancy Whitmarsh
I am the Chapter Leader for the Central Missouri Area Wide Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, Inc. I am a Volunteer Court Advocate with The Shelter For Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. I am a member of the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV) and Missouri Victim Assistance Network (MoVA)
I have lost two family members to homicide. On December 22, 1981, my 31 year old husband, Philip V. Whitmarsh, was shot and killed by a 16 year old male in a robbery holdup while working at a service station in Columbia, MO. Carlos Henry Allen received a second degree murder plea bargain and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. Mr. Allen is in prison at Jefferson City Correctional Center located at Jefferson City, MO with an upcoming parole hearing in August 2011.
On May 2, 2005, my 77 year old mother-in-law, Zelpha Turner, was strangled to death in her Boone County home by a neighbor. Dearl Wayne Jackson was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Mr. Jackson is in prison at Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, MO.
Philip Whitmarsh was 31 years old when he was murdered. Our son, James, was 10 years old. At the time of his death, Philip worked during the day for the University of Missouri-Columbia and a second job in the evening at a service station in downtown Columbia, MO. He was working a second job so I could complete my college degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia. On December 22, 1981, at approx. 9:00 pm, a 16 year old male with a gun entered the service station office, demanded and took the money in the cash register and shot Philip in the shoulder and heart on his way out of the service station. Carlos Henry Allen received a second degree murder plea bargain and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.
Since I lived out of state and was unaware of Mr. Allen’s parole hearings, Mr. Allen has been paroled three times returning to prison each time for parole violations. At Mr. Allen’s recent parole hearings in May 2007 and August 2009 which I was able to attend, his parole release was denied. At present, Mr. Allen is in prison at Jefferson City Correctional Center located at Jefferson City, MO with an upcoming parole hearing in August 2011.
