Naman Shrestha
The quiet and peaceful neighborhood of Beattie Street in Saint Joseph, Missouri, became the scene of a violent crime when 26-year-old Tony Coone was found in a critical condition outside his home in the summer of 1997. The investigation uncovered a long-running feud between him and a neighbor, which resulted in the tragedy. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fear Thy Neighbor: Bloodshed on Beattie Street’ provides a detailed account of the case and the subsequent investigation, featuring insightful and emotional interviews with Tony’s loved ones.
Tony Coone Battled His Wounds For Nearly Two Weeks Before Passing Away
Tony Linn Coone was born on December 13, 1970, in Atchison, Kansas, to Roland Coone and Margaret Bosch. In his 20s, he began a relationship with Georgette Henley Hoyt, with whom he shared a son named Mike. By 1995, the couple got engaged and were looking forward to spending their lives together. Soon, Tony and Georgette rented a house on Beattie Street in Saint Joseph, Missouri, where they lived with their son and two of Georgette’s children from her previous relationship, Amanda and Sarah. Tony loved listening to music and spending time with his children. As they settled into their new home, Tony worked part-time and took care of the kids, while Georgette worked as a full-time nurse.
Unfortunately, Tony’s plans for a future with Georgette were shattered when, on June 3, 1997, she found her fiancé lying in critical condition outside their home following a loud gunshot noise. After she called 911, medics arrived at the scene and rushed him to the hospital. Tony had been shot in the neck, which caused an injury to his spinal cord and paralysis. After about two weeks in intensive care, the 26-year-old doting father succumbed to the bullet wound and passed away on June 20, 1997.
Tony Coone’s Shooter Claimed Self-Defense During His Interview
When the police officers arrived at the scene of the crime, they also found Tony Coone’s neighbor, James Robert “Bob” Hayes Sr., injured. Bob told the officers that he had shot Tony after Tony allegedly struck him with a hammer. The former chief of police and World War II veteran was also rushed to the hospital, where he recovered. The investigation revealed allegations of a months-long feud between Tony and Bob over numerous issues, with claims that Tony played loud music in his yard and allegedly made obscene gestures toward Bob’s wife, Pauline. According to the show, in one instance, Tony allegedly pulled into Bob’s yard and ruined it by doing donuts with his truck.
Their multiple confrontations over the months came to a deadly end on June 3, 1997. While Tony was working on his Chevy Blazer that afternoon, Bob parked near his yard, and the two got into a heated altercation. According to Bob, he stopped his car after feeling a thud against his left side door. He alleged that during the altercation, Tony began hitting him with his hammer while threatening to kill him. The former police officer then shot him, claiming that he did so in self-defense. In the hospital, Tony also told the police his side of the story. He accused Bob of almost running over his legs with his car, after which he got up and began arguing with him.
As per his account, Bob shot him in the neck after Tony slapped him in the face. He claimed that he didn’t have a hammer or any other object in his hand at the time. He further alleged that Bob picked up the hammer after shooting him. Tony’s fiancée, Georgette, also claimed that she didn’t see any blood on Bob’s face when she first came outside and found Tony on the ground. She told the authorities that she noticed blood on Bob’s face after calling 911 and returning to the scene. After Tony passed away at the hospital, Bob was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder, second-degree armed criminal action, voluntary manslaughter, armed criminal action by reason of voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter.
Bob Hayes Died Without Serving His Full Sentence
As James Robert “Bob” Hayes Sr. pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, he took the matter to court. At the start of the trial, the prosecution dismissed a few charges and tried him for involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. During the trial in 1998, Bob maintained his self-defense claim while the prosecution presented a forensic analysis of his wounds that contradicted his version of events. He took the stand and testified that he didn’t remember anything after the shooting, except for his wife coming towards him. Georgette, Tony’s fiancée, also testified against the defendant, claiming that he was uninjured when she first saw him. In the end, the jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in connection with Tony Coone’s death.
Initially, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. However, after appealing his convictions in 2000, he was ordered to stand a retrial. Again, Bob was convicted of the same two charges, but this time, he was sentenced to four years for the armed criminal action conviction and two years for the involuntary manslaughter conviction, to be served consecutively. During his incarceration, he reportedly endured several medical problems, including a heart attack. His wife, Pauline, became severely ill, and on December 25, 2006, he was released on parole from the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron so that he could spend time with her at the hospital. Even after Pauline passed away in April 2007, Bob remained out of prison. Having served only 24 months of his six-year sentence, he passed away in 2010 at the age of 85.
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