Jury chosen in Jefferson City murder trial
The jury in the trial for Charles Thompson has been seated, and testimony in the case has begun.
Charles Thompson is charged in Cole County with second degree murder, first degree burglary, attempted robbery and armed criminal action for the February 2015 killing of Johnny Evans in the 1100 block of East High in Jefferson City.
Jury selection is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Cole County Circuit Court, before Judge Patricia Joyce. The trial is expected to last two to three days.
Vincent Smith and Roberts Burks are also charged with second degree murder in this case, and their trial dates have not been set yet.
Court documents allege that Thompson and Smith broke into Johnny Evans’ apartment in the 1100 block of East High. The court documents quote Smith as telling police while they took things from the living room, Evans began to get up from the couch.
Those court documents quote Smith as saying that’s when he heard a loud bang and saw Charles Thompson holding a “380 handgun.” The Jefferson City Police Department’s probable cause statement quotes Vincent Smith as saying he heard two shots that day.
If convicted of second degree murder, Thompson’s maximum sentence would be life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
ABC 17’s Joe McLean will be covering the trial and will have updates on ABC 17 News and on our website.
