Mark Anthony Gill

Case record: State of Missouri v. Mark Anthony Gill

People

• Mark Anthony Gill — defendant
• Ralph Lee Lape, Jr. — victim
• Justin Brown — associate of Gill

Background

Ralph Lee Lape, Jr., lived alone in rural Cape Girardeau County. During the summer of 2002, Lape allowed Gill to live in a camper trailer on his property as a favor to a mutual friend.

Lape spent the Fourth of July holiday weekend at Kentucky Lake, while Gill and Justin Brown remained at Lape’s home.

Brown looked through Lape’s personal papers and learned that he had a large amount of money in his bank account. Brown and Gill decided that they would kill Lape for his money.

The offence

On Saturday, July 6, preparations for the killing began.

Gill and Brown obtained a .22 pistol from Lape’s home and bought a roll of duct tape. They decided to “get him” in the garage because “once you pull in the garage can't nobody see.”

Lape arrived home from Kentucky Lake on Sunday, July 7, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Gill and Brown, who were waiting in the garage, opened the garage door for him.

After Lape stepped out of his extended cab pickup truck, Gill and Brown “grabbed him,” and Gill told Lape that they “just wanted his money.”

Lape pleaded to Gill: “You don't have to do this…I'll give you what you want. Mark, I ain't done nothing but try to help you.”

Gill and Brown then bound Lape with plastic ties and the duct tape. They pushed up the backseat of Lape’s truck and “slid him in.”

Gill divided $240 they found in a ziplock bag that Lape had been carrying. Gill then put shovels in the back of the truck because he “knew what [he] was fixin' to do, [he] was going to hell.”

Gill drove the truck south on Interstate 55 as Brown held Lape down on the floorboard.

After finding Lape’s ATM bankcard in the truck, Gill asked him for the pin number, and he told them the number “right off.”

Gill and Brown drove Lape approximately 80 miles to a desolate cornfield near Portageville, where they took turns “knocking down corn” and “digging a hole.” While one of them dug the hole, the other sat in the truck and watched Lape.

After digging the hole, they took Lape out of the truck and removed the duct tape and plastic ties. Ignoring Lape’s pleas for mercy, Gill and Brown pushed him into the hole.

One of them pointed the .22 pistol at Lape and pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired. The trigger was pulled a second time, but there was another misfire. On the third try, the gun fired and shot Lape in the forehead, killing him.

Gill and Brown then “lined him up in the hole” and removed all of Lape’s clothing and jewelry. Before they buried Lape, Brown “stepped on his head” in order to make it fit in the hole.

An autopsy revealed that, in addition to the gunshot wound, Lape had a skull fracture that was “not caused by the bullet,” three separate bruises on his head, bruising in his chest, and one of his ribs was completely broken in two.

After killing Lape, Gill and Brown changed clothes back at the house and withdrew money from Lape’s bank account with his ATM card.

They drove to St. Louis, withdrew more money, and spent nearly a thousand dollars of the money at strip clubs. After spending the night at the Adam's Mark hotel in St. Louis, Gill and Brown drove back to Lape’s house, stopping along the way to withdraw more money from Lape’s bank account.

Disposal of evidence and movements

Gill and Brown began to dispose of the evidence. They dumped the shovels in a wooded area and burned their clothing and the clothing they had removed from Lape’s body. They threw the gun, Lape’s jewelry, and other evidence that would not burn into the Mississippi River.

They then drove to Paducah, Kentucky, abandoned Lape’s truck in a hospital parking lot, and returned to Lape’s house.

When Lape’s family members inquired about his whereabouts, Gill and Brown told them that he was at Kentucky Lake.

After withdrawing nearly all of the money from Lape’s bank account that was accessible with an ATM card, Gill and Brown used Lape’s computer to transfer $55,000 from another account to the ATM-accessible account.

After a friend told Gill that there is no limit in Las Vegas on the amount of money that can be withdrawn from an ATM, Gill and his girlfriend drove to Las Vegas and were married.

Gill withdrew approximately $1,600 from Lape’s account while on the trip.

Investigation and arrest

Ultimately, Gill was arrested in New Mexico.

He initially denied any involvement in Lape’s disappearance and claimed he had permission to use the ATM card. He later confessed to planning and participating in the murder, but claimed it was Brown who shot Lape.

Sentencing

Gill was sentenced to death on April 20, 2004.

Outcome

Gill remained sentenced to death as of the stated sentencing date.

Other details

• Gill and Brown divided $240 found in a ziplock bag Lape had been carrying.
• They withdrew money from Lape’s bank account using his ATM card.
• They spent nearly a thousand dollars at strip clubs in St. Louis.
• They spent the night at the Adam's Mark hotel in St. Louis.
• They transferred $55,000 using Lape’s computer.
• They drove to Las Vegas, where Gill and his girlfriend were married.