A cold-case murder that drew national attention when it aired on network television has another twist: The defendant died April 21 in a Joplin hospital.
Tommie K. Whetzell, 66, of Liberal, was charged in the case and was to appear May 9 for a pre-trial conference.
Whetzell was set for trial on June 10-14 in Phelps County on a change of venue, according to court documents. He was charged with first-degree murder of Ricky Luebbert, 42, in November 2007.
Luebbert’s body was at a residence in the Tyrone area where multiple bullet holes were found in a front window. An investigation was opened, but the case was never solved. An effort by the Texas County Sheriff’s Department and the national true crime series, “Cold Justice,” led to charges against Whetzell in 2022.