Jefferson City man gets 20 years in prison for murder

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to murder.

Austin Corrigan pleaded guilty Tuesday before Cole County Judge Jon Beetem to charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Corrigan was arrested and charged in February 2019 in the shooting death of Clifton Withers, 63, on Route E in Cole County. Corrigan was also accused of shooting Withers' wife, who survived.

Corrigan called 911 after the shooting, telling dispatchers that two people at the location had been shot, according to a probable cause statement. Corrigan told authorities that the shooting victims were drug dealers. Investigators said at the time of Corrigan's arrest that he knew the victims and that the female shooting victim's description led to his arrest.

Law enforcement officers tried to pull Corrigan over in his Jeep after the shooting but he started a chase before eventually crashing into a building, according to court documents.

Beetem sentenced Corrigan to 20 years in prison on each count with the sentences to run concurrently.