On June 22, 2000 a man, armed with a handgun, entered a grocery store in the town of Reed in Desha County and demanded money from the owner, George Barnes sr.
At gunpoint, the man took Barnes s money bag, and then he told Barnes to hand over the keys to his truck. Barnes kept the truck keys, and the man, still pointing the gun at Barnes, told him to get in his truck.
The two men got in the truck, the gunman still holding the bank bag, and they proceeded to the nearby Tillar Airport, in Drew County.
At the airport, they encountered Wes Lawson, a 20 year – old airport employee. The gunman forced both Barnes and Lawson to accompany him into the airport office. Judy Q., the 51 year – old coowner of the airport s flying service, was in the office. Judy is the wife of the 59 year – old crop – dusting pilot Fred Quandt.
The gunman told Judy to call her husband on the radio and tell him that if he did not come back to the airport, he would kill everybody in the office.
The gunman then ordered all three hostages to take off their clothes. He forced the two men into the bathroom but kept Judy with him.
The gunman told Judy to bring up something on her computer, and when she was unable to bring up what he wanted, he hit her more than once in the head with the butt of a gun.
Upon receiving his wife s urgent call, Fred landed his plane at the airport. With the plane s engines still running, he rushed toward the office wearing a helmet and earplugs, and did not heed or hear an order to “stop and get naked, ” whereupon the gunman shot him in the stomach.
Although seriously injured, Fred was able to escape and eventually recovered.
After shooting Fred, the gunman ordered Lawson to stand in the front doorway and threatened to shoot him next.
Lawson then opened the front door and started running away from the building. During his escape, he sustained a gunshot wound to his arm and side that was not fatal.
Thereafter, the gunman took the two remaining hostages into the bathroom. There the gunman directed Judy to bend over the sink.
Standing behind the woman, the gunman groped her breasts and inserted his erect penis in her vagina. In the meantime Barnes was standing in the corner and was ordered to watch the gunman thrusting his penis in and out of Judy.
After few minutes the gunman withdrew his penis from the woman and made her turn around and sit on the toilet. Next he put his penis in the woman s mouth and ejaculated. Judy was ordered to swallow and she complied.
After that, the gunman pulled up his pants and directed Judy on her knees in front of Barnes. The gunman then pushed Judy s head against Barnes semierect penis and ordered her to put it in her mouth.
Judy protested, but when the gun was pointed to her head, she began to perform fellatio on Barnes. When the man ejaculated, Judy spit the semen into the toilet bowl. Finally Judy was ordered to stand up.
Over the course of several hours, the gunman ordered the hostages to call the FBI, and he spoke by phone with various people while law enforcement officers surrounded the building. Finally, the gunman instructed the hostages to put on their clothing.
Then, he released Barnes and, while holding Judy for the purpose of shielding himself, the gunman exited the office and was arrested.