KINGDOM CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A homicide investigation is underway in Kingdom City. Lt. Curtis Hall with the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that an arrest was made in connection with the investigation. Jonathan G. Houston, 44, was booked into the Callaway County Jail on Sunday night on suspicion of two first-degree murder charges and
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WARSAW, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman on Monday afternoon pleaded guilty to helping kill a child in Benton County. Kourtney Aumen, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree assault. She will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21. The hearing appeared suddenly on the CaseNet court records website Monday morning ahead of Aumen’s trial,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia woman was arrested over the weekend after new charges were filed against her in a man’s 2024 beating death. Felicia Hay, 35, was charged earlier this summer with first-degree assault after a manslaughter charge was dropped in the November 2024 death of Antonio Davis, 56, of Columbia. Davis died in
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MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) An appeal hearing in the murder of a snake breeder stalled Monday in Audrain County after an attorney failed to appear. Michael Humphrey filed the motion seeking to vacate or set aside his sentence in the killing of Ben Renick in Montgomery County, claiming his constitutional rights were violated by ineffective legal
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man has been charged after a woman died following a crash in Jefferson City. Damon L. Crocker, 57, of Centertown, was charged with one count of DWI resulting in the death of another. Court documents state that Crocker was seen on surveillance footage leaving the Office Bar around 3:54 p.m. Friday.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Despite a slight decline in overall crime in Columbia during the past year, reported crime downtown increased sharply. ABC 17 News obtained a copy of the “Downtown Columbia Crime Trends and Enforcement Strategies” report, which is set to be presented to the Columbia City Council on Monday during the city’s pre-council meeting.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Tennessee death row inmate is in the hospital and on a ventilator after an attempt to execute her failed, per national reports. On Wednesday, Christa Pike received lethal injection drugs twice and survived. Tennessee and Missouri use the same drug for the lethal injection, pentobarbital. Missouri’s Department of Corrections told ABC
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man accused in a deadly 2024 stabbing at Columbia’s Douglass Park has been deemed competent to stand trial. Demetrice M. Tatum, 41, of Columbia, was charged in April 2024 with first-degree murder and armed criminal action after he allegedly stabbed Kejuan Allen to death at Douglass Park. He appears on the Boone
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was accused of having a gun on Hickman High School’s property on Sept. 4. Sanji Ellis, born in 2007, was charged on Friday with carrying a loaded weapon onto school premises. He was detained that day and posted a $1,500 bond on Sept. 8. An initial court appearance is
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Webster County judge has denied a Benton County woman’s request to waive her right to a jury trial in a Benton County murder case. Kourtney Aumen is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, child endangerment and assault of 4-year-old Jessica Mast in December 2020. Aumen waived her right to a jury
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia mother whose son was robbed and shot to death in 2025 is calling for more home outreach in schools and better policing, after a new report identified the need for community intervention and collaboration. Faith Mejia lost her son Zarian Simpson in June 2025 after he was pistol-whipped and robbed
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COLUMBIA. Mo. (KMIZ) Reign Bar’s lawyer sent a response letter to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office after Attorney General Catherine Hanaway described the bar as having “persistent nuisance conditions.” The letter, sent by Jermaine Wooten, disputed claims of nuisance activity on and around the bar’s owned premises, stating that no violent incidents have occurred in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The University of Missouri’s annual security and fire safety report showed that reports of rape and domestic violence went up from 2024. The report was shared by the university on Thursday. The 2026 annual safety report – which shows data from 2023-25 – shows that 11 reports of rape were made
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was seen on his vehicle with a knife and hatchet outside of Commerce Bank in downtown Columbia has been charged with three felonies. Nicholas Francis, 36, of Kansas City, was charged on Thursday with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree making a terroristic threat. He
Continue Reading JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) In a new effort by Missouri law enforcement to try and generate tips through inmates, 2,000 decks of playing cards that feature dozens of victims in unsolved crimes are now in every state prison. Each card features a photo and details about an unsolved homicide, missing person, or unidentified remains case
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was accused of raping an 81-year-old dementia patient at a nursing home while he was employed as a certified nursing assistant has pleaded down to lesser charges. Joseph Hull, of Jefferson City, was originally charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sexual conduct with a nursing facility resident. He pleaded guilty
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Centralia man has been charged after he allegedly stole more than $21,000 worth of musical instruments, jewelry, lawn equipment and other items from a home on July 16, 2025. Denver Robb, 40, is charged in Boone County with stealing more than $750, second-degree burglary and misdemeanor second-degree property damage. He is
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former Fulton police officer pleaded guilty to federal charges related to child sex abuse materials, according to a Wednesday press release from the Department of Justice. Jimmy Joe Culbertson, 68, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child sex abuse materials and one count of possessing child sex abuse
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) First responders have reopened a lane of Interstate 70 in east Columbia after a crash labeled a “law incident.” Columbia Police Department spokesman Colin Imhoff said CPD officers were helping with a traffic stop that turned into a chase near I-70 and Range Line Street. The suspect vehicle crashed near I-70 and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A pursuit with law enforcement and a claim of a bomb in the suspect vehicle closed a Miller County road for more than two hours Tuesday, according to a post from the Miller County Coroner’s Office. The post said the Miller County coroner was returning from Lake Regional Hospital for an unrelated
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