Well, folks always wanna know about them people who done wrong things and where they end up, ya know? Take Robert Gene Pilcher for instance. Now, he ain’t a household name like them famous folks, but he sure made a stir in his day. Robert Gene Pilcher, also known as “Gene,” got himself in a world of trouble, and folks around Ottumwa, Iowa, won’t soon forget his name, no sir.
Back in Them Days
See, way back in 1974, young Mary Jayne Jones – just 17 she was – met a terrible end in Iowa. Folks say she was a hardworking gal, just tryna make an honest living as a waitress. One day, she went out to some farmhouse out in the boonies, and, well, she never made it back. They found her there, beaten and shot. It was a tragedy, somethin’ nobody should have to go through, especially not a young gal like her.
But ya know, back then, the law couldn’t quite get all the pieces together. They didn’t have them fancy science tools we got today. They just had to go by witness talkin’ and whatever they could piece together. And even though folks suspected Gene Pilcher – he was kin to the fella who owned that farmhouse – they couldn’t pin it on him, no sir.
Years and Years Went By
For years, Gene lived his life like a free man, even though folks whispered behind his back. But time has a funny way of diggin’ up the truth, and decades later, folks came back around to lookin’ at that case. By then, things had changed. They had them DNA tests and all sorts of ways to dig up old evidence.
So, in 2012, they finally decided it was time to put Gene on trial. He was no spring chicken by then – well into his sixties, he was. But the law don’t care none ’bout age when it comes to justice. They finally had enough to drag him into court, and the folks in Ottumwa were abuzz.
The Trial in 2014
Now, this trial was somethin’ else. It took place in January of 2014, nearly 40 years after poor Mary Jayne was taken. Folks came from all over, just to get a peek at the man who might’ve done it. They had a jury set up and all, and they dug deep into what happened all them years ago. Course, bein’ so long after the fact, it weren’t an easy case. There weren’t a pile of hard evidence, and most of what they had was pretty thin, you could say.
But lo and behold, the jury finally made up their minds. Gene Pilcher was found guilty of murderin’ Mary Jayne Jones after all them years. He went down for first-degree murder, and they slapped a prison sentence on him that’d pretty much keep him locked up for good. Ottumwa folks finally felt like there was some justice, even if it came near 40 years late.
Where Is He Now?
Now, after that trial and all, folks been wonderin’ where Gene Pilcher is these days. Well, he’s sittin’ in a prison cell somewhere in Iowa, still payin’ his dues for what he done. He’s an old man now, not much left for him outside them prison walls. Seems that time caught up with him in more ways than one.
It’s a hard story, no doubt ’bout it. And folks in Iowa still remember Mary Jayne, keepin’ her memory alive. And ol’ Gene, well, he’s where the law finally said he belonged. It’s somethin’ to think ’bout, how justice sometimes takes its time but don’t forget none. Guess that’s how it goes when ya got folks who don’t forget, just waitin’ for the truth to come ’round.
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Robert Gene Pilcher, Ottumwa Iowa, Mary Jayne Jones murder, Robert Pilcher now, 1974 murder Iowa