The man and woman found stabbed to death Saturday morning inside a Hannibal Housing Authority apartment on Starlight Ridge have been identified as Amanda Thomas, 27, left, and Carl Patrick Epley, 25. Thomas is shown with her two children, one of whom was fathered by Manuel Cazares, who was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. (Photos courtesy of WGEM-TV)
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Published: 3/2/2009 | Updated: 3/11/2009
HANNIBAL, Mo. — A 32-year-old illegal alien has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of armed criminal action in connection with the apparent stabbing deaths of two people Saturday morning.
Manuel G. Cazares, 32, is lodged in the Marion County Jail on $1 million bond. He has been charged in connection with the deaths of former girlfriend Amanda Thomas, 27, of Hannibal, and Carl Patrick Epley, 26, of Monroe City.
Hannibal Police Chief Lyndell Davis said in a late Monday morning news conference that Cazares, a native of Mexico, walked into the Hannibal Police Department at 9:48 a.m. Saturday and told officers that two people were dead in a Hannibal Housing Authority apartment on Starlight Ridge.
Officers found the bodies of Thomas and Epley in a bedroom when they checked Apartment 12B, which Thomas rented. Marion County Coroner Peggy Porter pronounced both victims dead at 11 a.m. She said they were killed Saturday morning, but she gave no specific time.
“The officers observed puncture wounds on the victims, but an autopsy being performed today” will determine the cause and estimated time of the deaths, Davis said.
Davis said officers also found a possible murder weapon, a common kitchen knife “we believe came from the residence.”
Davis said HPD had “numerous” contacts with Cazares, including three domestic violence-related arrests in connection with Thomas.
The most recent arrest was for phone harassment, a violation of an order of protection filed in December. Before that, he was arrested for first-degree burglary Feb. 22, which was pleaded down to property damage, and for which Cazares received supervised probation.
Davis said Cazares was arrested on an assault charge on Dec. 22, 2007.
Thomas originally took out the order of protection in November. It was extended to a full order in December. Davis declined to go into details about the relationship between Thomas and Cazares.
“Keep in mind this is in investigation. They had a child in common,” he said. Davis said the couple had at one time shared a residence on Stardust Drive.
Davis said he waited until Monday to release information so he could be as accurate as possible.
“It would have been irresponsible to go out with this until we had checked the facts,” he said. “Our No. 1 job is apprehension and conviction. (Then it’s) keeping the public informed that this was an isolated incident and the suspect has been arrested.”
Davis also said a check with federal immigration authorities showed that Cazares has been in the United States illegally, but he noted that is secondary to the “heinous” crime for which he has been arrested.
Cazares had three orders of protection issued against him in Marion County in the past two years, court records show. Family and friends of Thomas’ said she filed the orders.
Thomas’ family said she had two young children, but both were staying with other family members and not home when the bodies were discovered.
Thomas and Epley were both Monroe City High School graduates. Thomas was taking nursing classes at John Wood Community College in Quincy, Ill., family members said.
Cazares was a waiter at the Gran Rio Mexican Restaurant in the Steamboat Bend Shopping Center. Gran Rio manager Jose Mata told The Herald-Whig Saturday that Cazares called him Saturday morning and told him he’d done “something terrible.”
Mata said he urged Cazares to turn himself in, and shortly after talking to him on the phone, Mata said he was told by Hannibal police that Cazares was in custody.
Thomas worked until recently at International Eye Care, next door to Gran Rio.
— rhart@whig.com/221-3370, apierceall@whig.com/(573) 221-5879
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