Police Make Arrest In Double Homicide Case

Deputies say a man allegedly shot one of his friends in the head and burned another one beyond recognition. Deputies arrested Travis Danley Sunday night. Danley was booked into jail on two counts of 1st degree murder, one count of First Degree Arson, one count of Larceny from a House, and one count of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. 

Deputies say Danley allegedly killed his friends at a house outside Sperry, then took a truck and headed back home to Joplin. Deputies say that's when he told family members he killed two men.

Investigators say Danley's mother convinced him to surrender in Miami.

As News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports, Danley was in town for the long holiday weekend. Now, instead of celebrating, families are planning funerals.

As soon as the sheriff's office knew who they were looking for late Sunday afternoon, they sent two deputies to Joplin to recover the stolen truck and search for the murder weapon.

The victim's family says they were friends with Travis Danley and that they knew him for years. They say in a heartbeat, it has gone from a relaxing holiday weekend to a tragic nightmare.

Friends and family are overcome with grief.

"How I'm going to live without him, I don't know," said Jackie McDonald, Mike Reeder's Girlfriend.

Police call the murder scene gruesome. Police believe Saturday night six friends hung out at Mike Reeder's home, drinking beer and fishing in a pond. The next morning, a neighbor saw smoke coming from the roof and called for help. When firefighters arrived on the scene in the 2900 block of East 106th Street North, they found two dead bodies inside.

"Stuff like that doesn't happen around here ever," said Stacie Sisk, neighbor.

One man was shot in the head. Police aren't releasing the name, but friends say the victim is David Lujaun.

"Nobody hated Dave. Nobody hated Dave. Everybody loved Dave," said Sabrina Reeder, Mike Reeder's Sister-in-Law.

Police say the other man was doused in fuel and set on fire. Police say they found a gas can nearby. The body was so badly burned, police say they'll need dental records to identify him. But, Mike Reeder's girlfriend says she doesn't have to wait for that.

"I can't process what's going on in my head. I just know it's Mike. I love him. I want him to know that right now and I can't tell him," said Jackie McDonald.

"He was just an all-around good guy, wonderful. Do anything for anybody. Never backstab anybody. He was your best friend and he's gone," said Sabrina Reeder.

It's a tangled web. The six party-goers were all close friends and extended family.

"It's all intertwined together. Everything was always done together. We've always done everything together," said Sabrina Reeder.

Now, two men are dead and the family wants answers.

"We went on fishing trips together. We went on lake trips together. And he's gone because some senseless piece of jerk took his life," said Sabrina Reeder.

Related Story:

08/31/2008  Bodies Found In Burning Home