Columbia man pleads guilty to reduced charge in stepfather’s death
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia man charged in March 2022 with shooting and killing his stepfather pleaded guilty to reduced charges Monday and could spend more than two decades in prison.
Samuel E. Brotherton pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of Rollin G. Thompson, 64, in the 3800 block of Pinecrest Drive. Prosecutors originally charged Brotherton with first-degree murder but amended the charge to second-degree murder last week.
Prosecutors said Monday that they'll seek 20 years in prison on the murder charge and another five years on the armed criminal action charge. Brotherton's attorney plans to ask for 10 years in prison.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 20.
Brotherton called police the night of the shooting saying he had shot his father, according to a probable cause statement.
Once officers arrived they found Thompson with a gunshot wound inside the residence. Thompson was then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators listened to Samuel's Boone County Joint Communications call, in which he told the dispatcher that he had an argument with Thompson and decided to shoot him, according to court documents.
A man at the home where the shooting occurred who identified himself as a family member said Brotherton was Thompson's stepson.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said his office worked with local prosecutors to secure the conviction. Evidence included text messages from Brotherton before and after the killing. Bailey's office said in a news release that Brotherton shot Thompson as Thompson was behind a locked bedroom door.
