Lawrence Lee CROUSE
Delmar Gilbert DOYLE
Donna Lou HOFMASTER
Husband-1: Lawrence Lee CROUSE
Birth: 26 Apr 1932, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
Death: (obituary)
11 Mar 1966, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
Burial: Mar 1966, Great Bend Cemetery, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
Father: Abram Leedy CROUSE
Mother: Neva Viola BROWN
Marriage-1: 6 Jul 1951, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
Husband-2: Delmar Gilbert DOYLE
Birth: 28 Aug 1930, Sheyenne, Eddy Co., North Dakota
Death: (obituary) 2 Sep 2004, Houston, Harris Co., Texas
Burial:
Father: Sylvester Gilbert DOYLE
Mother: Gussie Pearl DEVINE
Marriage-2: 29 Nov 1968, Fort Bend Co., Texas
Wife: Donna Lou HOFMASTER
Birth: 28 Apr 1934, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
Death: 7 May 2009, Laurie, Morgan Co., Missouri
Burial:
Father: George Charles
HOFMASTER
Mother: Etta Mabel HOPKINS
Children - Marriage-1:
1. Lawrence Lee CROUSE Jr., b: 3 Nov 1954, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
2. Darryl CROUSE, b: 12 Feb 1956, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
3. Cheryl Yvonne CROUSE, b: 9 Apr 1958, Great Bend, Barton Co., Kansas
d: 31 Jan 2011, Houston, Harris Co., Texas
4. Sheila Kay CROUSE (Rogers), b: 29 Aug 1959, Great Bend,
Barton Co., Kansas
5. Donna Marie CROUSE (Miles), b: 18 Jul 1961, Great Bend,
Barton Co., Kansas
6. Carla Ann CROUSE (Perryman), b: 2 Sep 1964, Great Bend,
Barton Co., Kansas
Children - Marriage-2:
1. Roberta Leigh DOYLE (Viveney), b: 5 Jan 1969, Houston,
Harris Co., Texas
2. Shelley Lynn DOYLE (Anderson), b: 8 Jan 1971, Houston,
Harris Co., Texas
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Notes:
Lawrence was killed by a gunshot wound to the head and Delmar was
arrested for murder in the case. Per the Great Bend Tribune,
Thursday, July 14, 1966:
Charges of
First degree murder were filed against an Ellinwood man shortly before noon
today in connection with the death of a Great Bend man on or about March 10.
Charged is Delmar G. Doyle, 107 N. Kennedy, Ellinwood.
Doyle, according to County Attorney Brock McPherson and Sheriff Marion Weese, is
charged in the gunshot death of Lawrence Lee Crouse, 33, 1900 Hubbard.
Crouse, the father of six children, was found dead in
his car on an oilfield lease road on the morning of March 12. He had been
reported missing by his wife the day previous.
The complaint issued today states that “on or about the
10th day of March, 1966, in the County of Barton and State f Kansas,
one Delmar G. Doyle did then and there unlawfully, feloniously, willfully,
maliciously, deliberately, premeditatedly, on purpose with malice aforethought
inflict a mortal wound upon one Lawrence Lee Crouse by then and there shooting
the said Lawrence Lee Crouse in the head with a firearm from which said wound
the said Lawrence Lee Crouse on or about the 10th day of March, 1966
and the said Delmar G. Doyle did unlawfully, willfully, maliciously,
feloniously, deliberately, premeditatedly, on purpose with malice aforethought
kill and murder him, the said Lawrence Lee Crouse, in violation of Section
21-401 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated; contrary to the form of the statutes in
such cases made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of
Kansas.”
Homicide in the case was ruled following an inquest
held April 18, called by District Coroner, Drt. Jerome Sayler. The jury, after
hearing evidence in the case, came in with a ruling that “Lawrence Lee Crouse
died of a wound to the head from a 22 caliber H and H revolver feloniously fired
by a person or persons unknown.”
The jury, after hearing testimony about the lack of
powder burns in Crouse’s head and hands, deliberated only 28 minutes before
bringing in the verdict of homicide.
Doyle, 36, was arrested at 12:20 p.m. today at 1900
Hubbard by Sheriff Weese
On March 15, 1967, Delmar was convicted on Second Degree Murder.
Per the Great Bend Tribune, Tuesday, March 14, 1967:
Delmar G. Doyle, 36, Ellinwood,
today at 1:15 p.m. was found guilty of second degree murder by a jury of seven
men and five women.
On March 20, 1967, Delmar's
attorney filed a motion for a new trial stating there were six errors in the
original trial. On May 8, 1967, the request for a new trial was rejected and
Delmar was sentenced to 10 years. Per the Great Bend Tribune on Monday,
May 8, 1967:
A sentence of 10 years at hard labor at
the Kansas State Penitentiary was handed down to Delmar G. Doyle, 36, Ellinwood,
today in district court.
Doyle, standing before District Court Judge Frederick
Woleslagel, with his attorney, Russell Schultz, Wichita, quietly heard the
sentence handed down........
Prior to the sentencing, Judge Woleslagel read a
journal entry wherein he denied Doyle's motion for a new trial.
On June 8, 1967,
the Kansas State Supreme Court set aside the guilty verdict for Delmar and
ordered him released. Per the Great Bend Tribune, Sunday, June 9, 1967:
TOPEKA -- The Kansas Supreme
Court Saturday ordered the discharge of Delmar G. Doyle, 37 year old Ellinwood
man from a charge of murder. Doyle was convicted by a Barton County District
Court jury of second-degree murder and sentenced to 10 years.
But the Supreme Court said the State had failed to
prove that a crime had even been committed or that Doyle was involved.
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Sources: