Illinois man, James Carroll stabs, kills Lawrence Kinzel, then steals Dorothy Cowgill’s car, which ran out of gas
What sounds like a scene out of movie, Middletown police in Illinois explained that James Ray Carroll has been arrested for the fatal stabbing of Lawrence Kinzel, who was caught after stealing a car which has low on gas.
Carroll, 39, stabbed Lawrence Kinzel, 46, of Chicago, to death Sunday morning in Middletown.
Lt. Scott Reeve says Kinzel was found dead in the road about 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of Lefferson Road and Sheffield Street.
As Carroll attempted to evade police, he stole a car in the parking lot of Save-A-Lot on Roosevelt Boulevard.
That car, a 1998 Cavalier belonging to Dorothy Cowgill, was nearly dead empty on gas, so Carroll’s escape did not last long.
Cowgill was busy shopping for Thanksgiving dinner when he car was jacked.
Carroll has been charged with murder and receiving stolen property, among other counts. A judge on Monday set Carroll’s bond at $1 million.
James Ray Carroll
Cowgill received a call from police at 1:42 a.m. today, informing her the stolen car was found, but it was involved in an active murder investigation, so she couldn’t get her groceries out of the trunk.
She was at the police station this morning, waiting to be interviewed by detectives, she said.
Cowgill said the car was “dead on empty,” and she planned to fill it up after she left Save-A-Lot.
“I didn’t know if I had enough gas to get to Save-A-Lot,” she said with a laugh. “He beat us to it and ran out (of gas).”
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Steve Winters at 513-425-7786.
