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2003 murder with a barrel of acid

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CLARENCE Mo. — Larissa Foreman, later known as Larissa Schuster, was born in Clarence, Missouri and grew up on a farm. She attended the University of Missouri and studied biochemistry, while working at a nursing home. Her future husband, Timothy Schuster, who also grew up on a farm, was also attending nursing school. They were married in 1982, and had two children together, Kristin and Tyler.

Murder suspect Larissa Schuster and her attorney Roger Nuttall listen during a hearing Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, in a Los Angeles County courthouse. Schuster, 47, is accused of murdering her estranged husband, Timothy Schuster, in July 2003 and sealing his body in a barrel of acid.(AP Photo/Nick Ut)

In 1989, the family moved to Fresno, California, where Larissa started working at an agricultural research lab and eventually started her own company, Central California Research Laboratories, Inc. (CCRL). Due to her demanding job, Timothy took on the role of a stay-at-home parent.

In 2002, the couple divorced under contentious circumstances. Larissa wasn’t happy with the agreement, and she acted like the house and business were hers alone. She did not want Timothy to have custody of Tyler or any contact with her.

Timothy moved out of the house, but Larissa was furious and took items from the house while he was away. She also confessed to several people that she had broken into Timothy’s new home and took items. The couple’s relationship deteriorated even worse after the break-in, and Timothy moved into a new home with an alarm system and sought a concealed weapon permit.

Larissa confessed to wishing for Timothy’s death and seeking someone to rough him up.

Timothy disappears

Larissa, had her employee, Leslie Fichera rent a storage unit on August 8, 2002. Fichera rented the unit in her name and gave the code to Larissa.

In April 2003, a blue 55-gallon barrel was purchased and delivered to CCRL. Larissa claimed it was for yard clippings, but asked an employee if a body could fit in it. She also ordered large amounts of hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, and a bottle of chloroform from the lab.

Murder suspect Larissa Schuster reacts as she listens to a guilty verdict in her murder trial Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, in a Los Angeles County courthouse. Schuster, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her estranged husband, Timothy Schuster, in July 2003. The jury found the biochemist guilty Wednesday of killing her estranged husband by stuffing him in a vat of acid. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

On July 9, 2003, Timothy disappeared after having dinner with friends. His pickup was found in the garage, but no signs of forced entry or struggle were found. His phone was left on the dresser. He did not show up for important appointments and was not heard from again.

Larissa Schuster met with detectives at the police station regarding her divorce with Timothy Schuster. She told them that the last message she received from him was on July 8th, and that he planned to pick up their son on Thursday.

She claimed that when he didn’t show, she tried to reach him by going to his house but he was not there. Furthermore, she also said that the last time she spoke with him in person was on July 5th. The detectives noticed that she was nervous and shaking when she was asked about her cell phone, and found that none of her speed dial numbers belonged to Timothy.

Confession that leads to an arrest

On July 14, Leslie Fichera and a friend of Larissa’s went to the police to report suspicious behavior. The police obtained search warrants for a storage unit, the lab where Larissa worked, and her house.

In the storage unit, a blue 55-gallon barrel was found containing human remains, later identified as Timothy through DNA testing. The body was in an early stage of decomposition and was floating in a fluid containing hydrochloric acid, which was determined to be the cause of death.

Evidence was also found in the lab where Larissa worked, including an empty can of Lysol air freshener, empty bottles of hydrochloric acid, and searches for acid digestion on her work computer. On July 16, Larissa was arrested and found in possession of receipts for air freshener and storage unit access instructions.

The trial and conviction

The case of California vs. Larissa Schuster began in front of a jury, with the prosecution alleging that Larissa had killed her husband Timothy for financial gain and to avoid dividing property in a divorce settlement.

The prosecution presented circumstantial evidence, including the discovery of a fresh circular mark on the floor of a shed on Larissa’s property, leading them to believe that the barrel containing Timothy’s remains had been stored there.

Murder suspect Larissa Schuster confers with her attorney Roger Nuttall Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, in a Los Angeles County courthouse. Schuster, 47, is accused of murdering her estranged husband, Timothy Schuster, in July 2003 and sealing his body in a barrel of acid. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

On May 16, 2008, Larissa was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Her appeal for a new trial was also denied. Larissa is currently serving her sentence at the women’s prison in Chowchilla.

Her daughter Kristin, who had not seen her mother in five years, gave an emotional statement in court calling her mother a demon for taking away her father.

Kristin also mentioned that her grandparents were now raising Tyler and that communication with him was restricted. Kristin is now married and has a young son of her own, but has said that she doesn’t know how she will talk to him about his grandmother in the future.

Where to watch

Both the show “Snapped” and “Deadly Wives” has episodes on Larissa. Both these episodes go into a deeper description of the story and the descent into madness that Larissa went through.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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