Willie James Herndon, a 43‑year‑old from Arlington, Texas, fired a single round into the rear of Alyssa Wilson’s Buick Encore as she drove northbound on I‑170, leaving her unable to steer and sending the vehicle into a concrete median—she died at Barnes‑Jewish Hospital.
The bullet entered the passenger side, striking Wilson in the back and causing a fatal spinal injury that the ambulance crews could not reverse.
Police recovered a shell casing at the crash site that matched the rifle the department says was used in a separate shooting three days earlier.
On Oct. 11, a white SUV pulled over at 4:30 a.m. near Bates Avenue on I‑55; the driver’s vehicle was hit by a bullet that left no casualties, but the weapon’s serial number matched the one linked to Wilson’s death.
The Days Inn in Caseyville, Illinois, became the next node in the trail when investigators raided a room on Oct. 16 and seized a rifle, ammunition, and handwritten notes detailing police vehicles and other cars the suspect believed were tailing him.
Herndon’s wife, Taiya, 45, was also charged with hindering prosecution for allegedly covering up the evidence.
Prosecutors in Illinois and St. Louis County have unsealed indictments that list first‑degree murder, armed criminal action, and felon‑in‑possession of a firearm. The case will be heard in St. Louis County Circuit Court, with a preliminary hearing slated for the first week of November.
For Wilson’s family, the investigation can never undo the loss of a girl who was about to turn 18 and had booked a Disney vacation; her parents say the only thing left is to keep her memory alive while the legal process unfolds.