Three men wanted in connection to deadly Columbia shooting arrested in Oklahoma
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Court documents filed on Thursday indicate that multiple men who were wanted for murder in the June 2023 shooting on Dove Drive in Columbia are in custody after they were arrested by Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police in Oklahoma.
Deazes Turner, 20, Deljuan Turner, 20, and Alqueze Jones were arrested, according to Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson and court entries. All three men are charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.
Lighthorse Tribal Police spokesperson Jason Salsman told ABC 17 the arrests started with a traffic stop after they were pulled over on highway 69. He also said the three attempted to give fake names, but eventually gave up their true identities and were arrested.
They are being held at the Muskogee County Jail. An extradition was ordered for all three of them, but a court date has not been set.
Prosecuting Attorney for the case, Tony Gonzalez, explained to ABC 17 that state warrants follow different procedures than federal warrants and the extradition process could be dragged out if any of the men contest.
Deazes Turner, Deljuan Turner and Alqueze Jones were wanted in the shooting death of Deshon Joseph Houston, 33. Houston was was found dead outside of a home in the 3200 block of Dove Drive on June 26, 2023.
Four other suspects police believe to have been involved in the deadly shooting are also in custody.
Jajuan Crockett was charged with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, accessory to stealing, stealing more than $750 and tampering with evidence, after a superseding indictment was filed on May 17. He has a hearing at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Bryton Allen, 20, was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and illegal gun possession. He was in court Friday morning and has another hearing set for August.
Both Crockett and Allen are being held at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, MO.
Ja’Shaun Barney, 19, was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. He has a hearing set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, July 1.
Also in the case, Damarkus Williams, 19, was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. Williams has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, July 1.
Salsman said he hopes the arrest can help bring closure to the family of Deshon Houston.
"If you're wanted for a crime and you try to come to the Muskogee Reservation, you need to pick somewhere else to do it. We're going to apprehend you or you're going to get you back to where you need to be...hopefully there can be some closure for the victims' families and for the people of Columbia and for those officers there that have been working on this case," Salsman said.
These arrests mean authorities have captured every suspect they identified for murder cases in 2023. That makes a 100% clearance rate for CPD's murder cases in 2022 and 2023. There are two juvenile suspects still on the loose in the Premier Lane shooting that is keeping 2024 from being 100% cleared by arrest so far.
ABC 17 reached out to the CPD to see what information they had on the return of these men. They said they have been in communication with Lighthorse Police Officials and want to interview the three men before releasing an official statement.
