Suspect in Manning death arrested

A fugitive wanted for a 2001 murder turned himself in to California law enforcement agents Tuesday.

Mark Anthony Wilson, 50, was charged with first-degree murder in July 2001 in the death of Joni Lee Anne Manning who was killed in her home in Clare.

Manning, 43, of 1727 Hayes Ave., was found dead in her rural Webster County home on July 8, 2001, by one of her sons. An autopsy revealed that she died of head injuries caused by blunt force inflicted by an unknown object.

Sgt. Luke Fleener, of the Webster County Sheriff's Department, said a man claiming to be Wilson contacted the Webster County sheriff's office Saturday night asking if they were looking for him. Fleener said Lt. Kevin Kruse, of the Webster County Sheriff's Department, told the caller that if he truly was Wilson, he needed to turn himself in to the nearest law enforcement agency.

About 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, the Webster County Sheriff's Department was notified by the Sacramento, Calif., Sheriff's Department that Wilson had been arrested in Sacramento, and that he was in their custody, according to a press release from the Webster County Sheriff's Department.

"It appears that Mark Anthony Wilson approached a California Highway Patrolman and informed him who he was and that he was wanted in Iowa," the press release said.

Currently, transportation arrangements to bring Wilson back to Iowa are being made pending an extradition hearing scheduled for today in Sacramento. Once Wilson is transported back to the Webster County Sheriff's Department, he will make his initial appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court and then will await a court date in District Court.

Law enforcement officers in Iowa and Missouri began seeking Wilson, who lived with Manning, within days after her body was found. Initially, a warrant for Wilson to appear as a material witness was issued so they could take Wilson in for custody, according to Messenger files.

Prior to the arrest, Wilson was last seen on July 8, 2001, in Kansas City, Mo., with Manning's 2000 Ford Mustang that was reported missing when her body was found.

Wilson was featured most recently on "America's Most Wanted" on April 18, 2008. His mug shot is now labeled "captured" on the AMW Web Site.

Manning was a registered nurse who worked in the subacute care center at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. She had been out of contact with her family for several days before her death, according to Messenger files.

"It's good that at some point we'll have closure in this case, especially for the family," Fleener said. "After eight years you begin to wonder if you ever will. Now that he is in custody and coming back here, then we're almost to the point where justice has been served. Mr. Wilson committed these crimes and he'll have to be found guilty of it and then the case will finally be disposed of which will be good for the family."

Contact Angela Burch at (515) 573-2141 or aburch@messengernews.net