She didn’t lock her doors and never heard of anyone leaving lights on all night. She would warn me that the world was a “mean old place” and urge me to be grateful for living in the Ozarks where it was safe. Ledbetter says she has relatives on both sides of her family tree who originated in the Wasola and Theodosia/Lutie areas.Įvery night my grandmother Opal Ledbetter sat close to her 19-inch black and white television screen to keep track of assassinations, wars, riots, murders and political intrigues reported on the evening news during the 1960s. He served at the coroner's inquest,” she explained. My grandfather was on the scene and covered the bodies with sheets from the house. It occurred on P Highway near the Lutie Lookout Tower, a few hundred yards up the hill from the home of my grandparents, Rayford and Opal Ledbetter. “Many will remember the murders as the event that caused people to lock their doors for the first time and purchase utility lights for their yards. Ledbetter and her grandparents had become fast friends with the Kempes after they moved to Ozark County in 1955. 17, 1964 brutal double murder of Oscar and Ruby Kempe in Theodosia.

As residents await decision in Leckie murder trial, many are reminded of another brutal Ozark County murderĮditor’s note: Springfield-area freelance writer and retired Texas State University professor Kathryn “Kitty” Ledbetter wrote this two-part piece detailing the Aug.

Handy note legion chests