Content warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence.
Editor’s note: Because multiple people in this story share the surname Rosson, they are referred to by their first names after their initial identification.
The investigation into Lisa Bebber’s death took a significant turn Friday when a man – already accused of threatening a witness and concealing evidence connected to her death – was charged with murder and first-degree arson in a new case. His wife was also arrested, becoming the third person charged in connection with Bebber’s death and the May 19 fire at her Almo home.
In the new case, Jason Rosson, 49, of Murray, faces two Class A felonies in addition to the two Class D felony charges filed against him Monday. The earlier charges are intimidating a participant in the legal process and tampering with physical evidence.
Kayla Rosson, 40, also of Murray, was arrested Friday on two counts of tampering with physical evidence, according to a Calloway County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Jason’s new charges are the same as those filed last month against Jody Smith, the first person arrested in connection with Bebber’s death.
The warrant alleges Jason played an integral role in Bebber’s killing and the subsequent fire, which investigators say was intended to destroy evidence of the physical assault. According to Kayla’s account, she and Jason went to Smith’s home that evening to discuss keeping Bebber “quiet” about the theft of a truck from her residence. Smith and Gracie Litchfield then joined them for the trip to Bebber’s home at 297 Saddlebrook Lane.
The warrant says CCSO investigators interviewed Kayla several times and obtained additional details during each interview. On June 22, she told detectives she had seen Jason choking Bebber, then provided the fuller account after Jason’s July 6 arrest.
The truck belonged to Nathan Ham, an inmate at the Calloway County Detention Center. In a separate case related to the truck, Smith is charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property.*
According to the warrant, the four arrived at Bebber’s home around 9 p.m. Kayla told investigators she entered first and heard Bebber tell a woman on the phone that she had company and that it was “the four of them.”
Litchfield went into the bathroom while Kayla waited to use it. While she was waiting, Kayla allegedly saw Smith push Bebber over an ottoman in the living room.
“I’m here to kill you bitch!” Smith told Bebber, according to the warrant.
Bebber got up, and she and Smith began arguing about Ham’s truck. Kayla told investigators she urged Litchfield to hurry because she did not want to see any more fighting.
Jason then told Kayla and Litchfield to leave, return to the Rossons’ home and wait until he and Smith were ready to go. After about 20 to 30 minutes, Kayla received calls from Smith and then Jason and returned to Bebber’s home.
Kayla told investigators she entered the home and saw Jason choking Bebber on the couch with his arm locked around her neck. Bebber attempted to fight back, and the two fell to the floor as Jason continued choking her.
Smith then stood over Bebber and struck her in the head with a hammer, according to the warrant. Kayla told investigators Smith then declared, “It’s done.”
Smith also allegedly made a comment about “the hole in Bebber’s head,” but the warrant does not specify what that comment was.
Shortly afterward, Kayla allegedly used the same hammer to smash a phone, but she could not say whether the phone belonged to Bebber or Smith. The hammer was later placed in the driver’s-side floorboard of Kayla’s vehicle, according to the warrant.
As the group was leaving, Smith allegedly splashed a liquid across the carpet and attempted unsuccessfully to ignite it.
Litchfield told investigators that after Jason entered the vehicle, he said Bebber had pulled out “two handfuls” of his hair. Jason then allegedly threatened Litchfield, telling her she would be “next” if she said anything.
The four returned to Smith’s home, where they removed their clothing and burned it in a pile north of a shed, according to the warrant. Investigators allege the hammer, a Taser belonging to Bebber and the boots Jason had worn at Bebber’s home were also thrown into the pile.
The group then changed clothes, and the two men took showers.
Litchfield later corroborated portions of Kayla’s account about what happened before and after the alleged killing, according to the warrant. She told investigators that she and Kayla left Jason and Smith at Bebber’s home and returned after receiving a call, and that the men showered after returning to Smith’s residence. She also showed detectives where the clothing and hammer had allegedly been discarded in the burn pile.
Kayla told investigators she and Jason later drove back toward Bebber’s home to see whether the fire had started but did not pull into the driveway. After seeing that the house had not caught fire, they returned to Smith, who allegedly handed Jason a red gas can and said that if the fire had not started, they should start it themselves.
The Rossons then drove toward Bebber’s home again. Kayla said they saw flames from the highway, did not return to the residence and went home. She told investigators she returned the gas can to Smith the following morning.
Jason is scheduled to be arraigned in Calloway District Court at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, on the murder and first-degree arson charges. A preliminary hearing on his charges of intimidating a participant in the legal process and tampering with physical evidence is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15.
Kayla was booked into the Calloway County Detention Center at 5:15 p.m. Friday, according to the center’s website. At press time, no court records were available with details of the allegations or a date for her initial appearance.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
CORRECTION: Nathan Ham’s name was misspelled. We apologize for the error.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here