Man, 72, killed, wife injured in stabbing attack at Nebraska highway rest area

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. – An attempted robbery at a highway rest area in eastern Nebraska left a 72-year-old man dead and his 71-year-old wife seriously injured in a stabbing attack Wednesday, authorities said.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said officers were called to a rest area on Interstate 80 shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday and found the couple both suffering from stab wounds. Authorities said Gary and Mary Weaver were traveling through Nebraska in their mobile home before the incident occurred.

Gary Nelson died at a Grand Island hospital. Mary Nelson was in critical condition Wednesday at the hospital with life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The Nelsons were originally from Eureka, Missouri.

The suspect fled the rest area in a vehicle before authorities arrived, but Grand Island Police Capt. Dean Elliott told television station KSNB that officers were able to obtain a description.

The Nebraska State Patrol attempted to stop a vehicle matching that description near Wood River and pursued it at speeds up to 120 mph before that vehicle left the highway and turned onto South. Elliott said the vehicle eventually rolled into the Platte River. State troopers used a police dog to track down the suspect and arrest him about 30 minutes later.

James Thompson Jr., 22, of Elyria, Ohio, was being held Wednesday at the Hall County Jail. He faces numerous charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, robbery and fleeing police. As he has not yet appeared in court, he does not have an attorney who could comment on his behalf.