COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Jurors have agreed that a man found guilty of killing a Hermann police officer in 2023 should face the death penalty. Kenneth Simpson, of Steelville, was found guilty on Saturday of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of illegal gun possession, one count of illegally possessing a weapon and two counts of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man suspected in a Columbia shooting that left two people injured was part of a group that opened fire on a vehicle carrying three people, according to court documents. Ammanuel A. Minuye, 23, was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County jury on Friday found a home daycare operator not guilty of negligence that caused a baby’s death. The jury went into deliberation around 1 p.m. and came back about two hours later with its not guilty verdict. Sarah Brown faced three to 10 years in prison. Brown had been
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Within the first month of 2026, Columbia has seen six shootings, two deadly. Minors were involved in at least two of those incidents. Columbia Police Department officers on Thursday found two victims, one with life-threatening gunshot wounds and one with minor injuries, after a north Columbia shooting. Officers investigated three locations: the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Both parties in a lawsuit over charter school applications in Boone County asked a judge on Friday to vacate a hearing next week after Saint Louis University rescinded its application for Frontier Schools. Columbia Public Schools filed a lawsuit last month, claiming the establishment of charter schools in Boone County is unconstitutional.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman who was accused of driving the wrong way on a highway in Pettis County earlier this month has been charged with a felony and a misdemeanor. Leydi Maldonado, 27, of Sedalia, was charged on Wednesday with driving while intoxicated causing physical injury and misdemeanor driving the wrong way on a divided
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The unlicensed Boone County daycare owner took the stand in her own defense Thursday in the manslaughter trial against her. Brown is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter for her alleged role after Ayla Gibson died in her care on May 25, 2023. Brown detailed her experience in childcare noting she had been
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Editor’s note: A sentence has been clarified. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former basketball prospect for the University of Missouri who was accused of raping a woman during a September 2024 campus visit is now being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Kansas City. Keiner Asprilla was charged in Boone County last year as an
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former Pettis County deputy who shot and killed a 25-year-old Sedalia woman in June 2020 was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday for charges related to child pornography. Jordan Schutte, 40, of Sedalia, was indicted by a Pettis County grand jury for child porn possession and first-degree promoting child porn. He is
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man from Montgomery County was charged with nine child sex crimes after authorities claim he sexually abused two children for several years. Joshua Stone, 40, of Montgomery City, was charged on Wednesday in Cole County with two counts of first-degree statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of first-degree
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The mother of a minor who died in April 2024 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Jefferson City, its police department and 10 of its officers. Shannon Gilchrist filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Cole County. The officers are listed as “John Doe” in the lawsuit because the names are not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A U.S. Army specialist who is charged with murder in the 2024 death of a soldier at Fort Leonard Wood had his trial begin on Tuesday. Spc. Wooster Rancy, with the 5th Engineer Battalion, is charged with murder and obstruction of justice in the death of Sgt. Sarah Roque. Jury selection began on Tuesday
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Editor’s note: This piece was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 28 after authorities said the child was found safe. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Benton County Sheriff’s Department called off an AMBER Alert on Wednesday that was issued the day before. The Endangered Person Advisory was issued for Remington Rose McLaughlin, a 1-year-old, whose mother did not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Prosecutors and the defense laid out their arguments during the second day of a Boone County baby death trial on Wednesday. The trial for Sarah D. Brown began Monday morning at the Boone County Courthouse. Brown is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Ayla Gibson. Brown allegedly
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – The Cole County Commission will not step in to stop the auction of a piece of land its former owner wanted to become a county park. Commissioner Sam Bushman told ABC 17 News in a statement on Wednesday morning that it would not sue Hawthorn Bank in order to stop it
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By Wednesday afternoon, the Cole County Commission will decide if it will ask Hawthorn Bank to pause an upcoming land auction, just 11 days away.
Lawrence Renn Jr. left his 178-acre Elston farmland to become a county park. He created a trust, leasing the land to the county after his death in 2021.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 17-year-old pleaded guilty to a pair of felony counts on Tuesday in relation to a 2024 shooting at a Columbia apartment complex. Ja’Mez Thompson-Bey, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was previously charged with two counts of first-degree assault,
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Sedalia man was charged with two felonies on Monday after he allegedly crashed into a law enforcement vehicle and injured an officer. Leopaldo Leon was charged with driving while intoxication – injuring a law enforcement officer and leaving the scene of an accident. A $15,000 bond was set and an arraignment
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol is facing a lawsuit in Pulaski County over a September crash that involved a trooper. The petition was filed by Orin Miller, of Waynesville, on Monday. The lawsuit accuses MSHP of negligence and negligence per se. The plaintiff is suing for personal injuries and property damage, court
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man who was already charged with several child sex crimes earlier this month is facing more charges in Cole County. Michael Minor, 48, was charged on Jan. 16 with two counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of statutory sodomy of a child younger than 12 years old.
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