Store clerk, 27, shot dead with shotgun, Missouri cops say. Arrest made 39 years later

The 1985 cold case killing of a 27-year-old store clerk has stumped investigators for nearly four decades — until now.

Advances in forensic technology and a renewed look into the case led to an arrest in the Sept. 27, 1985, killing that Holt County Sheriff Steve Portman said has “weighed heavily” on the community for years. Kirby G. David, 61, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Peggy Horseman, the sheriff said in a July 31 post on Facebook.

Horseman was working as a night clerk at King Oil Station in Mound City when she was found shot and killed in the back of the business, according to a probable cause statement. Part of her body was in the beverage cooler after investigators said she was shot in the back of the head with a shotgun.

Investigators followed up on leads, but the case eventually went cold, according to the sheriff.

Cpt. Terry Horner was hired in November 2022 to investigate Horseman’s death, leading to the “breakthrough” in the case, the sheriff said.

“I greatly appreciate the hours of hard work and dedication by Captain T. Horner and with the help of the Holt County Sheriff’s Office deputies and staff,” Portman said in news release. “There has been a lot of evidence that has been obtained from countless hours of interviewing witnesses as Captain Horner pursued leads.”

David has been jailed in the Missouri Department of Corrections, authorities said. A court hearing has not been scheduled as of July 31.

“Our commitment to seeking justice for the victim and their family is unwavering, and we hope this development brings a measure of peace to those affected by this tragic loss,” the sheriff said.

Mound City is about a 90-mile drive northwest from Kansas City.

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Store clerk, 27, shot dead with shotgun, Missouri cops say. Arrest made 39 years later."