Three men who escaped from the Mower County Jail on Sunday were awaiting trial in a double homicide last summer.

Monday, March 26, 2001

Three men who escaped from the Mower County Jail on Sunday were awaiting trial in a double homicide last summer.

Vernon Neal Powers, 28, and Scott Perry Christian, 30, and his brother, David Kenneth Christian, 28, all of St. Paul, were indicted last August on first-degree premeditated murder charges.

In addition, Jenea Larae-Nichol Weinand, 19, of St. Paul, also was indicted by a Mower County grand jury.

According to information developed by law enforcement authorities during the investigation, Powers, Weinand, Scott Perry Christian and Janet Elizabeth Hall, 18 of South Minneapolis, plus a juvenile female came to Austin June 26, 2000, and stayed at the Downtown Motel. David Kenneth Christian, 28, of St. Paul and a brother of Scott Perry Christian, joined the entourage during the week.

Weinand and Hall unsuccessfully attempted to gain jobs as exotic dancers at downtown Austin bars and engaged in prostitution, authorities said.

Sometime late June 30, 2000, Juan Vincente Ramirez, 41 of St. Paul and the crew leader of a group of roofers staying at the Downtown Motel, went to Weinand’s room and bought sexual services.

He apparently showed Weinand a wad of cash, estimated at $8,900, when he paid her and returned to his room.

Weinand told her friends about the money later that night and a robbery plan was hatched. The entourage packed their belongings and loaded them into a silver Dodge Durango.

Then, Weinand went to Ramirez’s room, knocked on the door and when he answered, Powers and Scott Perry Christian, wearing ski masks allegedly burst into the room and announced a robbery, while Weinand ran to the Dodge Durango waiting in the motel’s south parking lot with David Kenneth Christian at the wheel and the other two females inside.

Ramirez and other members of the roofing crew sharing the motel room were threatened with robbery at gunpoint. When Ramirez apparently resisted and started yelling for help, both Powers and Scott Perry Christian opened fire with their handguns, police said.

Ramirez was killed along with Raul Pedro Guiterrez, 26 of St. Paul, and Benjamin Moreno Hernandez, 21 of St. Paul, was wounded.

A 14-year-old cousin of Ramirez was also in the room and witnessed the crimes, but escaped injury.

Powers and Scott Perry Christian grabbed wallets and raced from the room to the getaway vehicle and drove out of Austin via Fourth Street SE, throwing the wallets away near the Roosevelt Street bridge.

The gunmen left a ski mask and one tennis shoe behind after a struggle with the victims in the motel room.

The four accused of the robbery-murders were taken into custody in St. Paul later June 30, 2000 with Hall. Later all were returned to Austin to face charges and stand trial in court.

Charges against Hall were dropped, when the grand jury reviewed the evidence last August, and she was released, but considered a material witness in the trials of the suspects.

Powers and the Christian brothers were to stand trial together. Weinand’s trial is slated to begin afterward.

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.