HILLSBORO – Sheriff Dave Marshak announces the death of a homicide suspect who took his own life this morning in a Festus hotel.
69-year-old Billy Moman was found dead around 7:00 a.m. from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a room in the Holiday Inn Express location on Gamel Cemetery Road. Sheriff’s Office Detectives, Negotiators, and SWAT officers tried for hours to take Moman into custody before his death.
Moman, who previously spent time in a Minnesota prison for murder, is suspected of the murder of 46-year-old Marijon Ludwig, whose body was found stabbed and shot Saturday (2-14-26) afternoon in a home in the 2600 block of Winding Valley Drive in Fenton. Moman and Ludwig knew each other; however, their relationship is unclear at this time.
Detectives tracked Moman to the hotel in Festus Saturday evening. Out of an abundance of caution, Sheriff’s Office teams evacuated guests and employees from the building, then began efforts to take Moman into custody. Several approaches were taken, but Moman refused to exit his hotel room.
SWAT officers discovered Moman’s body with the use of a drone. No gunshots were fired by Deputies, and nobody else was injured.
“Detectives worked diligently to quickly locate the suspect. From the first officers on the homicide scene to the crime scene unit and SWAT, success came from a team effort,” said Sheriff Dave Marshak. “The crime scene was violent, and considering the suspect’s history, this incident ended the best way possible.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Festus Police Department and Huskey Trailways for their assistance in transporting the evacuated hotel guests, and the Festus C-6 School District for providing a safe place for the guests to stay overnight.