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Family members devastated over Cape homicides

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Jamie Orman (Source family of Jamie Orman)

Derrick Orman (Source MySpace)

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By CJ Cassidy & Heartland News - bio | email

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - Cape Girardeau police had a lot of questions but very few answers Wednesday morning as they continue to investigate the deadly shooting of a pregnant mother and her teenage son.

Jamie Orman, 30, and her son Derrick Orman, 15, were found shot to death at 1224 North Missouri Avenue, according to investigators with the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad.  The house is near Southeast Missouri State University.

Jamie had joint custody of Derrick and her two other sons and the boys simply happened to be out of school on Monday, so they decided to spend some extra time with their mother at her house.  That's when someone apparently forced their way in and changed all their lives forever.

"She was my baby sister. She'll always be my baby sister," said Kelly Yates.

She can't believe anyone would kill her 30-year-old pregnant sister and her 15-year-old nephew.

"She has three boys, and one more boy on the way she would have had in December or January,"  Yates said.  

She says she can't say if her sister gave her any indication if there were problems, but police say someone forced their way into the home early Tuesday morning and shot both Jamie and Derrick as they lay in bed.  Police confirm the teenager lived long enough to make it out into a hallway where his body was later found.

Police say Jamie's younger sons, 14 and nine, were in another part of the home.  Sgt. Jason Selzer with the Cape Girardeau Police Department says the two younger boys have been questioned and they didn't see anything even though they were inside the home.  Her 14-year-old son actually made the 911 call a little after 5 a.m.

Selzer says even though someone broke into the home, no one needs to worry about someone running around breaking into homes.

Police say there is evidence of forced entry to a door.  Selzer says the suspect most likely targeted at least the female victim.

However, neighbors say they never heard any gunshots.

Jamie's sister says police spoke with both boys, before releasing them into the custody of their father.

"They're dealing the best way they can," she said.  "They will have a lot of support around them to help them get through this."

Neighbors who spent the day talking to investigators said how much they enjoyed getting to know Jamie Orman and her live-in boyfriend, who owned the home on North Missouri Avenue.

"Anything they had extra would come our way in the way of food or appliances," said Rick Broniste.  "They were just really really good people, couldn't ask for better people." Broniste says the family was looking forward to the Halloween weekend.

He calls some jack-o-lanterns in the yard a painful reminder of what might have been.

Kelly Yates also spent a lot of time reflecting.  She talked to her sister Monday night for the last time, and says she only wishes she had spent more time talking to her.

"I was in the middle of doing dishes and told her I would call her later. She's gone now." 

The Major Case Squad has been activated.  Police won't say if they've found a weapon, but Selzer says 30 officers are working on this case and only this case.

Police say they are talking to everyone in this case that has any connection to the victims, including the father of the boys and Jamie Orman's live in boyfriend, John Lawrence.

Neighbors say he wasn't at home at the time of the shooting.  They say he was working at his overnight job at a factory.

Police have not named any suspects or people of interest at this time.

Lawrence owns the home on Missouri Avenue, but his is not the only name on the deed.

According to attorney David Newell, Lawrence's estranged wife Michelle also owned the home and the property is currently part of the couple's divorce proceedings.

Newell confirms John Lawrence filed for divorce back in June of 2008.  In fact, a judge just Tuesday morning set a January date for their bench trial.

Newell says Mrs. Lawrence was aware of the killings inside that home when the two spoke Tuesday morning but did not want to comment further on what happened.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Cape Girardeau Police confirmed they talked to both John and Michelle Lawrence and anyone else with a connection to the house where the crime happened.

This Cape Girardeau crime strikes a big blow to the Perry County school district.

Superintendent Kevin Dunn tells Heartland News Derrick Orman was a sophomore at Perryville High School.  His two younger brothers also attend school in Perryville.

Dunn says as a school family, they're trying to do everything they can to meet the needs of their students.

Counselors spent time Tuesday at both the high school and middle school and Dunn says they'll be back on campus Wednesday.

Police are calling this a double homicide.  However, given the fact that Jamie Orman was pregnant According to Missouri state case law from State of MO v Holcomb, decided on September 9, 1997: "The fact that a mother of a pre-born child may have been granted certain legal rights to terminate the pregnancy does not preclude the prosecution of a third party for murder in the case of a killing of a child not consented to by the mother; thus person who forcibly aborts a fetus against the will of the woman by physically restraining or assaulting the woman may be prosecuted for the murder of the unborn child."

Stay with Heartland News and kfvs12.com for updates.

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