HANNIBAL, Mo. -- A man was arrested on murder charges Saturday morning after Hannibal police officers said a man and woman were found dead inside a Hannibal Housing Authority apartment on Starlight Ridge.
Manuel G. Cazares, 32, was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder. He was lodged in the Marion County Jail without bond pending filing of formal charges.
Police did not identify the two victims, nor did they say how they died. But Jose Mata, manager of the Gran Rio Mexican Restaurant in the Steamboat Bend Shopping Center, where Cazares worked as a waiter, said one of the victims was Amanda Thomas, who had a young child with Cazares.
"(Cazares) called me at 8:47 a.m. (Saturday) to say goodbye and he said he had done something terrible," Mata said. "I told him to turn himself in, and he said he would run, to Florida or Mexico. I told him, 'You can run, but you will only leave pain and suffering behind.' "
Mata said Cazares also talked about killing himself. Mata said he called Hannibal police soon after his conversation with Cazares, and officers told him they already had Cazares in custody.
Court records show Cazares has had three orders of protection filed against him since 2007, with the latest one filed in December. The records did not list the person requesting the orders of protection.
But a Quincy, Ill., woman who is president of a company Thomas used to work for says Thomas filed for orders of protection against Cazares several times.
Thomas formerly worked at International Eye Care in Hannibal, a few doors away from Gran Rio in the shopping center. IEC President Teresa Carter said Thomas took another job about six months ago, but employees of the Hannibal store told her they were informed Saturday morning that Thomas had been found dead in her apartment with another person.
"She was a wonderful gal and a good worker," Carter said. "She was full of life and always had a smile on her face. She didn't deserve this to happen to her -- nobody does."
Carter said Thomas had frequent problems with Cazares. Thomas had two young children, Carter said, but only one was with Cazares.
The court records list "adult abuse and stalking" as reasons for the orders of protection.
Mata said Cazares worked at Gran Rio Friday. He was supposed to attend anger management classes Saturday in Quincy, Mata said.
"They broke up a lot, had a lot of problems," Mata said of Cazares and Thomas. "They would be apart a day or two, then back together.
"All he would talk about is her and the boy, his kid. He just wanted to go back to her."
Mata said Cazares is originally from the country of Mexico. He worked two separate times for Gran Rio, with the latest stint about a year and a half, Mata said.
"He was a good worker, but he liked to drink and he'd do something stupid," Mata said.
In a press release issued Saturday afternoon, Hannibal Police Chief Lyndell Davis said the case is still being investigated. He said more details will be released Monday morning.
Starlight Ridge is on the southern end of town, east of U.S. 61 near the Missouri National Guard Armory and Huckleberry Park. The Hannibal Housing Authority complex where the murders occurred sits near a Hannibal fire station.
Starlight Ridge is a circle drive intersecting with Moonlight Drive. It has about a dozen brick ranch houses with two apartments per residence. The area was quiet Saturday afternoon.
Hannibal Housing Authority Executive Director Jack McCord confirmed the bodies were found in Building 12, Apartment B.
A small pink tricycle was sitting in front of the door of 12B. A sign saying "Happy Valentine's Day" hung from the front window.
McCord knew little about the victims.
"They came in and paid their rent, but I really didn't know them," he said. "I don't know any of the story."
Neighbors also said the victims lived in 12B. Neighbors said they noticed police at the building mid-morning Saturday, and said they did not notice anybody being led out of the building or being arrested at the scene.
Cazares listed 1812 Grace as his address. He also has a misdemeanor property damage conviction from February 2008. He received a six-month Marion County Jail sentence, but it was suspended. He was placed on probation for two years, court records show.
These are the first reported homicides in Hannibal this year.
-- rhart@whig.com/221-3370
