COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The state presented more witness testimony Tuesday as the jury trial for a deadly 2025 Holts Summit shooting continues. This testimony included new information on both Smith’s retelling of events and the whereabouts of Dills’ gun following the shooting. A 12-person jury was picked Monday to decide the fate of 38-year-old Heather
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cooper County judge denied bond for the leader of a “cult-like” Amish community after new charges, including manslaughter, were filed against him this week. Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, appeared Tuesday in front of Judge Keith Bail after the new charges were added for a previously scheduled bond reduction hearing. Bail
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 16-year-old boy will face the adult criminal justice system after he was charged with murder and other crimes Tuesday in connection with a robbery and shooting last June. Deshawn D. Brown of Columbia was charged Tuesday with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and second-degree murder in the killing of Zarian Simpson.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman who reached a deal with the state to drop a manslaughter charge for a deadly Columbia hit-and-run crash was sentenced to a short jail stay and probation Tuesday. Judge Ben Miller sentenced Elizabeth Lopez to seven years in prison on three hit-and-run charges, but the judge suspended the sentence, with
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Holts Summit woman charged with a slew of felonies, including murder, for a shooting outside an apartment building will not go to trial this week. Heather Smith’s trial on child endangerment, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and second-degree murder charges had been scheduled to start Friday, but was
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Pulaski County woman has been charged with murder after allegedly killing her boyfriend on Friday. Lea Ann Barba, 42, was charged Friday with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Court documents state deputies were called to a home near Dixon on Friday afternoon for an unresponsive person after a gun was
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge denied a bond amendment Friday for the first man arrested in connection with a deadly Columbia shooting earlier this week. Damarius Kavanaugh, 19, of Columbia, was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, illegal gun possession and tampering with physical evidence after William Riechers, 20, of Columbia, was
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’S NOTE: The charges against Kavanaugh have been corrected. A 19-year-old felon has been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of a 20-year-old on Wednesday in central Columbia. Damarius Kavanaugh, of Columbia, was charged with felony murder, armed criminal action and illegal gun possession after William Riechers of Columbia was found
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Nearly 15 years after his death, Columbia Police are still trying to piece together the last 12 hours of Timothy Jones’ life. A jogger found the 43-year-old Columbia man just after 9:30 a.m. Dec. 20, 2011, at the end of White Oak Lane in Columbia near the MKT trail connector entrance. “He
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 2000 Columbia murder suspect may not be brought back to Boone County for another month, according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. Sentrell Wilson, 45, of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder in Boone County for the 2000 death of University of Missouri student Candace Richie. Wilson was
Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The child’s uncle at the bottom of the piece has been correctly identified. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to a reduced charge in a 3-year-old’s shooting death. Kevin L. Brownlee Jr., 31, pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, avoiding a murder
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Police suspect a Columbia teen who was charged as an adult with murder Friday could have fired a gun into the victim’s vehicle, according to a probable cause statement. Rodney Moore Jr., 16, is charged with second-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action in the death of 18-year-old Zarian Simpson
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman jailed in Cole County on suspicion of murder has drawn the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Denita Jackson, 27, is a Lincoln University student and track team sprinter who is originally from Guyana, in South America. She was arrested and charged this week with second-degree murder and armed
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An Osage County shooting that killed a man nearly two weeks ago happened during an argument over an extramarital affair, according to a probable cause statement. Clayton E. Johnson of Bland was charged Wednesday with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Feb. 13 shooting that led to the death
Continue Reading EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used in background research for this article. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Lincoln University student-athlete accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death had her initial court appearance moved to Friday morning. Denita Jackson, a senior sprinter for the school, is accused of killing 23-year-old Kevaughn Goldson, also a senior sprinter, during
Continue Reading Denita Jackson was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action after allegedly stabbing a Lincoln University student with whom she had a romantic relationship and a history of domestic violence incidents.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge sentenced a Springfield man to nine years in prison for a December 2024 crash that killed a passenger in his vehicle. Carl D. Simon pleaded guilty Tuesday to causing serious injury while fleeing police and first-degree involuntary manslaughter. Judge Stephanie Morrell sentenced him to nine years for aggravated
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man has died after he was shot Friday night in Osage County. Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham said Tuesday that the man, previously identified as 45-year-old Jarrod Compton, was pronounced dead just before 10 p.m. Monday. “We are still working the case at this point,” Bonham said when asked about arrests.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Police say PCP was present in the apartment where a man was fatally shot Saturday night in a senior apartment complex in central Columbia. Officers also found cocaine in the shooting suspect’s apartment, according to court documents. Michael D. Graham, 66, was charged with second-degree murder, illegal gun possession, armed criminal action,
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former Army specialist received a life sentence on Friday for killing a sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood. A military judge sentenced Wooster Rancy to life in prison without parole. A jury found him guilty on Wednesday of murder and obstruction of justice for the killing of Sgt. Sarah Roque in 2024
Continue Reading