Murder charge filed on man accused of shooting brother 17 times in Audrain County
MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Mexico, Missouri, man who was accused of shooting and killing his brother in May has been charged.
Stephen Welch, 30, was charged on Friday with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. A warrant was issued for his arrest and no bond was set. He was not in custody at the jail as of Friday night.
Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger previously told ABC 17 News last month that charges could have been filed at a later date.
According to the probable cause statement, police were called to a Mexico residence at 6:18 p.m. May 19. First responders attempted to save Christopher S. Welch, 36, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, court documents say.
Witnesses allegedly told police that Stephen Welch shot Christopher Welch. One witness allegedly told police that Christopher Welch was holding a knife and threatened to kill Stephen Welch and the witness.
The witness claims Stephen Welch shot Christopher Welch multiple times, court documents say. Christopher Welch allegedly fell to the floor after the third shot was fired, the witness claims in the probable cause statement.
A second witness claimed that Christopher Welch was “upset, but not violent,” court documents say. That witness claimed he did not see Christopher Welch hold a knife.
Court documents claim Stephen Welch shot Christopher Welch 17 times with a handgun and allegedly kept shooting him after he fell to the floor. There were apparently bullet holes in the floor and under the body, according to the statement. A knife was also found by law enforcement near the body, the statement says.
Stephen Welch allegedly told law enforcement that Christopher Welch “had a history of mental health issues, drug abuse and violence in the home,” the statement says.
Stephen Welch allegedly told police that his brother was arguing with one of the witnesses and thought “he was being violent,” the statement says. Welch claimed he and the first witness tried to calm Christopher Welch down while he was holding the knife, the statement says.
Christopher Welch allegedly took a step toward Stephen Welch while threatening to kill him and Stephen Welch told law enforcement that he shot Christopher until the gun was empty, the statement says. He allegedly told police that he was trained in the Marines to shoot that way.
Stephen Welch claimed he was about seven feet away from Christopher, the statement says.
“Welch stated he was not sure if the victim was trying to scare him or actually going to hurt him, but he was not going to take the chance and shot the victim. He stated after he shot the victim, he laid the gun on the floor and exited the home to wait for police,” court documents say.
