Would-Be CU Robber Guilty In BrutalDouble-Slaying

RACINE, Wis. - (06/01/06) – A state jury took just twohours Wednesday to return a guilty verdict in the October 2004double murder of a mother and her teenage daughter by a man who hadfled a botched robbery at a local credit union. Wendell McPhersonwas convicted of all six charges against him, including thedouble-slaying of Nancy Mason, 40, and her 19-year-old daughter,Meghan Mason. McPherson ran into the Mason’s home after heand an accomplice were spotted in a car outside Horizon CUpreparing to rob the credit union when a police patrol spotted thewould-be robbers. The accomplice ran off, only to be caught a shortwhile later, but McPherson took off in the getaway car and crashedit several blocks away, less than 300 feet from the Mason’shome. Several hours later the Masons’ oldest son came homefrom school and found his mother and sister on the bed in anupstairs room, tied together with duct tape and bound to the tape.Both had been shot in the head. He called police from aneighbor’s home because they did not have a telephone. Policetraced McPherson from the car and captured him in a house a fewblocks away from his home. There they discovered items that testedpositive for DNA from McPherson and the Masons, including wads ofduct tape, and the gun used to kill Nancy and Meghan Mason.McPherson’s 19-year-old accomplice, Jamal Martin, pleadedguilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and was sentenced to30 months in prison.