The Heartland Massacre on ID is examining the murders of seven people of the same family by James “Jim” Schnick at two farms in rural Elkland, Missouri.
Schnick used a .22-cal. pistol to kill his 35-year-old brother-in-law, Steve Buckner and his 36-year-old wife Jeannette Buckner. He also killed the Buckners’ four children: 14-year-old Kirk, 8-year-old Dennis, 6-year-old Timmy, and 2-year-old Michael. The last three children were shot as they slept in their beds.
At his own farm, Schnick turned the gun on his wife, 30-year-old Julie Schnick. He left his own two children unscathed.
The killer then seemingly staged the body of his nephew, 14-year-old Kirk, with the gun in his hand to make it look like the teenager was the murderer. He then gave himself a moderate self-inflicted wound in the abdomen.
Schnick called the cops and told them he had had a gun battle with his nephew, who had gone on the rampage and killed his wife. The police then found the remains of Kirk’s family at their farm.
The investigators and the community initially assumed that Kirk was the killer. They were shocked that this hardworking, quiet, and slight of stature boy had seemingly snapped.
The community assumed that the 14-year-old boy had become fed up with the grinding poverty and hard labor he was compelled to perform every day on the family farm.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelPolice began to suspect teenager Kirk Buckner had been framed
However, as the investigators dug deeper, they started to notice inconsistencies. They wondered why the left-handed Kirk was holding the murder weapon in his right hand.
Schnick had been admitted to a hospital because of his wounds, but the cops later learned that his injuries were not as severe as he pretended. The hospital had actually wanted to discharge him, but he refused to leave.
Eventually, during the course of a two-hour interview, Schnick admitted he was the real killer.
The motive for the murders was never clear, but the police suspect Schnick had hoped to inherit cash from wills and insurance policies. Webster County Sheriff Eugene Fraker told the press, “I don’t know what was in the man’s mind. There’s always a possibility we’ll never know.”
Elkland’s postmaster, Jim Jacobs, told reporters, “In a little town like this, everyone is sort of like a relative. Everybody was kind of relieved to find out the boy didn’t do it. Nobody really wanted to find out about Mr. Schnick because he had a lot of friends, too.”
Jim Schnick spent the rest of his life in prison
Schnick was initially charged with seven counts of murder, but four of the charges were dropped before he went to trial. He was officially convicted of the murders of his wife, Julie Schnick, and his nephews, Kirk Buckner and Michael Buckner, and was sentenced to death.
The conviction was later overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court. Schnick later pleaded guilty and was given a life sentence.
In May 2024, the killer passed away in prison aged 74.
The Heartland Massacre airs Wednesday at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.