Man pleads guilty to lesser charge in 2018 Columbia killing
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man pleaded guilty on Monday to a reduced charge tied to a 2018 Columbia shooting.
Elijah Fiore pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter on Monday afternoon, according to a source close to the case. Judge Kevin Crane sentenced him to the maximum ten years in prison.
Boone County prosecutors charged Fiore and six others with murder following the death of Randall King in August 2018. Columbia police said the group had arranged a meth deal at a home on Sylvan Lane when someone shot and killed King.
A probable cause statement in the case said a witness, Sarah Davidson, told investigators she saw Fiore and Neill fire at King.
Fiore also pleaded guilty to federal charges of attempting to sell methamphetamine and possessing a firearm with the drugs. The plea deal said St. Louis County police arrested Fiore and Mackenzie Cox in October 2018 for the Columbia killing when they found 129 grams of meth and a loaded pistol in a car the two were in. A judge sentenced him to seven years in prison for those crimes.
Fiore is not the first person to plead guilty to a crime related to King's death. Richard Nole received a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Nole told police that "they tried to kill us" when asked about the situation.
Prosecutors charged seven people with murder following King's death over the course of several months following his death. Daria Littleton, Hollie Johnson and Anthony Neill also face charges.
