John Edwin Bemis III purchased a .22 rifle and ammunition from a Walmart store in Hermantown, Minnesota, which was then used by his ex-wife, Marie Majerle, in a murder attempt that they had plotted together, to kill her current husband.
After purchasing the gun and ammo from Walmart, Bemis carefully instructed Majerle on how to use the gun to murder the husband, how to dispose of the gun, and how to get away with him and their 14-year old daughter. He also attempted to shave off the serial number.
She attempted the murder, but only wounded the husband
From an article (bolding added):
The complaint said Bemis, Marie Majerle and their daughter traveled to the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth. Bemis left them and went to the Super Wal-Mart Center in Hermantown, where he purchased the .22-caliber ammunition and returned to the mall.
Back at the residence, Bemis allegedly continued the conspiracy by showing Marie Majerle how to load and unload the rifle. He showed her that it was a semi-automatic rifle and could be fired more than one time by simply pulling the trigger. He then showed her where the safety was before he went into the basement and drilled the serial numbers off the rifle, the complaint said.
Marie Majerle said Bemis placed the rifle in the vehicle she would be driving. She said he advised her where to discard the rifle after the shooting and to take a change of clothes so she could burn the ones she was wearing after the shooting.
According to the complaint, Marie Majerle told investigators that Bemis had a job opportunity in Arizona and the only thing preventing him, Marie Majerle and their child from leaving was Richard Majerle. She also told investigators that she was convinced Bemis would have killed Richard Majerle because he had made comments about possibly conducting a drive-by shooting of the victim as he went to work or at his home.
Police viewed a Wal-Mart surveillance video showing Bemis purchasing the ammunition found in Marie Majerle’s car after the shooting, the complaint said. Investigators said they also found the clothing she was to have used if her attempt to kill Richard Majerle had been successful.
According to the complaint, during Tuesday’s interview with investigators, Marie Majerle said she had decided not to kill Richard Majerle when she went to his home but instead to shoot and wound him. However, she said, when she opened the door to the sauna and pointed the gun at the victim, he flinched in a manner that resulted in the gunshot striking him in a location (between the neck and shoulder) she had not anticipated.Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
