In April 1991, two sisters walked onto an abandoned bridge in St. Louis to look at a poem. They never walked off.
The story of Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry is one of those cases that sticks in the throat of the American Midwest. It’s a messy, harrowing, and deeply controversial piece of Missouri history. It’s not just about a crime; it’s about a botched investigation, a survivor who was nearly framed by the police, and a legal battle that lasted decades.
Honestly, the details are grim. But if you want to understand why this case still generates headlines and documentaries like American Justice or the memoir A Rip in Heaven, you have to look at the night everything went wrong on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.
A Night of Poetry and a Sudden Turn
Julie was 20. Robin was 19. They were young, idealistic, and, by all accounts, kids who wanted to change the world. Julie was a poet; Robin was a protector. That night, they took their cousin, Thomas Cummins, who was visiting from out of town, to the bridge.
The goal? Show him a graffiti poem they had painted on the pavement.
It was an anti-racism poem titled Do The Right Thing, inspired by the Spike Lee film. They had painted it in large white letters across a 20-meter span of the deck. But while they were out there, they ran into four men: Marlin Gray, Reginald Clemons, Antonio Richardson, and Daniel Winfrey.
At first, things seemed fine. They chatted. One of the sisters even gave one of the guys a cigarette. Then, the vibe shifted.
👉 See also: What Really Happened With the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz
Basically, the group of four decided to rob them. It escalated into a nightmare.
The Attack on the Bridge
The four men formed a cordon around the trio. Marlin Gray told Cummins, "This is a robbery," and forced him to the ground. What followed was a brutal series of sexual assaults against Julie and Robin. The men took Cummins’ wallet and watch, then forced all three victims down through a manhole in the bridge deck to a concrete pier sitting about 70 feet above the Mississippi River.
Then came the unthinkable.
The men pushed Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry off the pier and into the dark, freezing water below. They then ordered Thomas Cummins to jump. Thinking it was his only chance to live, he did.
Cummins survived the fall. He even found Julie in the water for a brief moment, but the current was too strong. She drifted away. Cummins eventually managed to swim to the Missouri shore, exhausted and traumatized.
When the Police Became the Problem
You’d think the police would immediately hunt for the four men. They didn't.
✨ Don't miss: How Much Did Trump Add to the National Debt Explained (Simply)
Instead, they turned on Thomas Cummins.
The St. Louis investigators didn't believe his story. They thought it was too convenient that he survived a 70-foot drop without being "wet enough" or "injured enough" when he finally reached help. For hours, they interrogated him. They pressured him. They eventually claimed he confessed to the murders, theorizing that he had tried to assault his cousins and pushed them over when they resisted.
It was a total disaster of an investigation. Cummins was actually charged with the murders of Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry before the real culprits were caught. He later sued the department and won a settlement for the way he was treated.
The Legal Aftermath and the Death Penalty
Eventually, the real attackers were identified. Daniel Winfrey, the only white member of the group and a juvenile at the time, flipped and testified against the others in exchange for a 30-year sentence.
The other three—Marlin Gray, Reginald Clemons, and Antonio Richardson—were sentenced to death.
- Marlin Gray: Executed in 2005.
- Antonio Richardson: His death sentence was eventually commuted to life without parole.
- Reginald Clemons: This is where the case got even more complicated.
Clemons spent over 20 years on death row. His case became a focal point for activists who pointed out evidence of police brutality during his confession and the fact that several Black jurors were improperly excluded from his trial. In 2015, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
🔗 Read more: The Galveston Hurricane 1900 Orphanage Story Is More Tragic Than You Realized
However, in 2017, Clemons pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and rape to avoid another trial and a potential return to death row. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms.
The Search for Robin Kerry
One of the saddest parts of this story is that while Julie’s body was found three weeks later near Caruthersville, Missouri (about 150 miles downriver), Robin was never found.
For the Kerry family, there has never been a "complete" ending. They’ve spent decades in courtrooms, watching appeals and retrials. Ginny Kerry, the girls' mother, attended almost every single hearing for over 25 years.
Why This Case Still Matters
The tragedy of Julie Kerry and Robin Kerry is a reminder of how quickly a night can turn, but also how fragile the justice system can be. It highlights the intersection of violent crime, racial tension in the legal system, and the enduring pain of victims' families.
If you're looking for more depth, Jeanine Cummins (Thomas's sister) wrote A Rip in Heaven. It’s a raw look at the case from the family’s perspective.
Actionable Next Steps for True Crime Researchers
If you are researching the Kerry sisters' case or similar cold/historical cases, here is how you can dig deeper into the facts:
- Review the Appellate Rulings: Look up State v. Gray or State v. Clemons in the Missouri Supreme Court archives. These documents provide the most granular, evidence-based account of the night’s events.
- Examine the "Special Master" Report (2015): This report details the procedural errors and the evidence regarding police conduct that led to the overturning of Clemons' original sentence.
- Visit the Chain of Rocks Bridge: Now a pedestrian and bike trail, the bridge is part of Route 66 history. Seeing the height and the manhole locations provides a sobering perspective on the physical reality of the crime.
- Support Victim Advocacy Groups: Organizations like the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) provide resources for families dealing with the long-term legal battles seen in this case.