Do you know who killed John Cook in 1991?
John Lee Cook, a 49-year-old male from Wausau, Wisconsin, was a dedicated husband, father, and an exceptionally active community leader. He was married to his wife, Yvonne, and they had two children, a son, Crist, and a daughter, Jolyn. John was deeply involved in his community, serving as the chairperson of the Marathon County Private Industry Council and holding leadership roles in numerous professional organizations, including the Wisconsin Personnel and Guidance Association and the Wisconsin Employment Counselors Association, which named him Counselor of the Year in 1971. He was also treasurer and president-elect of his congregation at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau and served on the board of the Janal Halfway House. His commitment to service was evident through his work with the Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and the University of Wisconsin Marathon County Area Advisory Board.
On the rainy morning of March 23, 1991, John and Yvonne were passing through Knoxville, Tennessee, on their way to a vacation in North Carolina. Around 6:00 a.m., John pulled their van off Interstate 275 and onto an entrance ramp to check a road map. Yvonne was asleep in the back of the van when she was jolted awake by an explosion. Her husband, who had just turned on the map light, said, "Oh, my God," and slumped over, bleeding heavily from behind his left ear. An assailant, later identified as Howard Walter Thomas, began smashing the driver's side window to get into the van.
Once inside, Thomas pushed John's body aside and took control of the vehicle, holding Yvonne at gunpoint. He drove them to a rural area of Knox County, where he demanded money from Yvonne before pushing her husband's body out of the van onto the side of Norris Freeway. Thomas then forced Yvonne to the ground and attempted to shoot her, but he struggled to reload his .22 caliber weapon. The arrival of a passing motorist, who was stepping out to get his morning newspaper, startled Thomas. He abandoned the attempt on Yvonne's life and fled the scene in the Cooks' van. The motorist, Leroy Jarvis, found Yvonne kneeling by her husband's body and called 911. John Cook had died from two gunshot wounds to the head.
The investigation into the random, senseless killing was handled by the Knox County Sheriff's Department and the Knoxville Police Department. For nine years, the case went cold. Yvonne Cook, the sole witness, struggled to provide a definitive identification of the man who had shattered her life. The break investigators needed finally came in May 2000. A woman named Mary Storm contacted police, stating that her dying brother, Earl Storm, had information about the murder. He implicated his step-grandson, Ernest Salyer, and Salyer's friend, Howard Walter Thomas.
Detectives located and interviewed Ernest Salyer, who told them that on the morning of the murder, Thomas had called him for a ride from a car wash. Based on statements from Salyer and his family, Howard Walter Thomas, who was 20 at the time of the crime, was arrested and charged with the felony murder of John Cook, as well as the kidnapping and robbery of Yvonne Cook and the attempt on her life.
During the trial, Yvonne Cook took the stand and identified Howard Walter Thomas as the man who killed her husband. The most incriminating testimony came from Ernest Salyer and his ex-wife, Loretta Strange. They both testified that Thomas had confessed to them on multiple occasions. Salyer recounted that on the day of the murder, Thomas told him he had "killed somebody" after shooting into a vehicle.
In 2003, a jury found Howard Walter Thomas guilty on all counts. Prosecutors had initially sought the death penalty, but after the verdict, Yvonne Cook addressed the court. "I feel death for [the defendant] would be a too-easy way out," she stated. "It is my wish that you sentence him to life imprisonment." Honoring her request, the state withdrew its notice to seek the death penalty. Thomas was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with additional sentences for the other charges, resulting in an effective sentence of life plus 21 years. As of March 2013, his convictions and sentence had been upheld through the appeals process.
