When retired county treasurer Sharron Erickson was found murdered in her garage in Colon, Nebraska, the small town of just over 100 people was shaken. Everyone knew each other, but suspicion spread quickly.
“People started pointing fingers at each other,” Erickson’s friend Don Clark recalled in the premiere episode of Oxygen’s The Killer Among Us. “Saying, ‘I bet he did it,’ or ‘he did it.’” Host Alan Cumming added, “Locals who once looked out for each other now looked suspiciously at each other.”
Who Was Sharron Erickson?
Sharron Erickson was a familiar face in Colon, having served more than 30 years at the county treasurer’s office.
“She had probably the highest standards of anyone at the courthouse,” Clark said. “Always well-dressed and polite to everyone.”
After retiring in 1998, she enjoyed a quiet life along Main Street, near the post office, bank, and a small restaurant. She had a daily routine of picking up her mail and chatting with bank employees.
But on June 30, 2003, she missed a routine phone call with a relative. Concerned, the family asked bank employees to check on her.
Discovery of Her Murder
With help from the postmaster, who had a key to her home, Erickson was found dead in her garage, lying in a pool of blood.
“She was in clothes she might have slept in, like pajamas,” said former Saunders County prosecutor and coroner Scott Tingelhoff. “There was a gun by her head, so at first it looked like suicide.”
However, the gun had no magazine, and blood on a nearby door showed she could not have left it herself after being shot. The coroner confirmed she had been beaten and strangled.
Signs of a Break-In
Investigators found that her back door had been forced open, the alarm had gone off, and her phone line was cut. An empty gun holster sat on a table in her bedroom.
“It looked like she might have grabbed the gun and tried to leave in a hurry,” explained Deputy Kyle Couglin. It appeared she tried to escape to the garage, where she was ultimately killed.
Sharron didn’t keep much cash or valuables, so the motive was unclear.
Suspects in the Case
Erickson had clashed with her next-door neighbor, a trucker, but he was out of town and ruled out. Police also questioned James Marrs, a 25-year-old farmhand living behind Erickson’s property. He initially claimed he was out at a bar and a friend’s house, which seemed verified.
Even the postmaster, who was close to Erickson, was questioned after inserting himself into the investigation. He denied involvement.
DNA Evidence Breakthrough
The case stalled until DNA tests revealed Erickson had been sexually assaulted. Initial database searches failed to find a match, but in April 2004, investigators discovered Marrs’ alibi might be false.
Marrs agreed to a DNA swab, which matched the crime scene.
James Marrs Confesses
In custody, Marrs admitted that after drinking and doing cocaine at a bar, he went to Erickson’s house to steal cash. He cut the phone line and forced his way in. Erickson brandished her gun, but it was unloaded. When she didn’t shoot, Marrs beat her. She ran to the garage, where he caught and killed her.
After legal challenges, Marrs pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 2025, on Erickson’s would-be 69th birthday. He was sentenced to life without parole.
Impact on the Colon Community
Erickson’s murder changed Colon forever. Tinglehoff said, “People start asking themselves, do I really know my neighbor? Are they capable of something like this?” The crime left a lasting sense of caution in a town that once trusted everyone.
