Suspect charged in Alyssa Wilson’s fatal freeway shooting investigated in second roadway attack

Federal investigators are examining whether Willie Herndon, charged in Alyssa Wilson’s fatal freeway shooting, is linked to another roadway attack three days earlier.

Federal investigators are examining whether a Texas man charged in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Missouri student was involved in a separate freeway shooting three days earlier, according to federal court documents.

Willie Herndon, 42, is accused of killing Alyssa Wilson on October 14 as she drove along Interstate 170 near St. Louis. Investigators are investigating a possible connection to an October 11 shooting after finding a shell casing near that earlier incident bearing the same manufacturer’s headstamp as one recovered during the investigation into Wilson’s death.

The potential link has not been confirmed. Laboratory testing is underway to determine whether ballistic evidence connects the two cases, according to NBC News, which reported on the federal complaint on October 25.

The earlier shooting involved a vehicle struck by gunfire after exiting Interstate 55 in St. Louis. No injuries were reported. A single cartridge case was recovered, while security footage showed a white SUV parked along the interstate before leaving immediately after the shooting, the complaint states.

Wilson, a student from Florissant, Missouri, was driving to meet a friend at a Halloween event at the St. Louis Zoo when she was shot. Investigators said security footage showed someone leaving a white Buick Enclave stopped on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 170 and firing at her passing vehicle.

A bullet entered the rear of Wilson’s vehicle and struck her in the back, exiting through her chest, according to the complaint. She was taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities traced the SUV to a hotel in Caseyville, Illinois, using security footage that showed its license plate and an Arkansas Razorbacks sticker. Willie Herndon and his wife, Taiya Herndon, were subsequently arrested, authorities said.

Willie Herndon faces state charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is also charged federally with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Court documents list previous felony convictions in Los Angeles.

Taiya Herndon is accused of driving the couple away after the shooting and faces a state charge of hindering prosecution. Authorities said a search of their hotel room uncovered an AR-15-style rifle and ammunition matching the brand and size of a casing recovered after Wilson’s killing. The complaint also identifies the same ammunition manufacturer in the casing recovered from the October 11 incident.

Herndon’s federal detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, and his preliminary hearing is set for November 4. Taiya Herndon’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 19.

Investigators have yet to establish whether the two shootings are connected.