Who Killed Frank Ancona? KKK Imperial Wizard's Wife, Stepson Charged With Murder

KKK — A member of the Ku Klux Klan salutes a lit cross during a cross lighting ceremony at a private residence in Henry County, Virginia, Oct. 11, 2014. Reuters/Johnny Milano

The wife and stepson of a slain man in Missouri — a leader of the Ku Klux Klan — were charged with murdering the man Monday. Malissa Ann Ancona was taken into police custody Monday, and Paul Edward Jinkerson, Jr., 24, was already jailed for an unrelated drug charge.

Frank Ancona, who identified himself as an “imperial wizard” of the white supremacist KKK, was found shot in the head and abandoned by the Missouri River last weekend. Malissa Ancona and Jinkerson were charged with first-degree murder, abandoning a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

A detective at the county sheriff’s department said Jinkerson shot his stepfather in the head as he slept Thursday night. The police also suspect that he put Frank Ancona’s body in his vehicle and drove it to a nearby area, where he then dumped his body. He was 51.

Investigators found extensive blood evidence was found in the Ancona’s master bedroom Saturday, and Malissa Ancona told police that Jinkerson shot her husband. She helped to clean the blood and attempt to cover up the crime, she said in a police interview. Investigators also found that a safe had been broken open, and Frank Ancona’s guns were missing. The wife said her husband took the guns with him for a work trip.

Police have not released any information regarding the motive of the crime. However, there was tension in the marriage: Malissa Ancona said her husband was planning to file for divorce.

Before being charged, Malissa Ancona was held in police custody on suspicion of the crime. She originally proclaimed her innocence, according to media reports.

“My husband wouldn’t hurt anyone, he was generous, he was nice to everyone he met,” she told a local news station in a story that was published Monday morning. “He doesn’t believe anyone should be killed or murdered or anything, he just believes in the separation of the races.”

The family lived in Leadwood, Missouri, a town of about 1,000 south of St. Louis. A photo on the KKK’s website shows Frank Ancona standing in front of a burning cross.