Columbia man who pleaded guilty to murdering stepfather sentenced to 25 years
COLUMBIA, Mo .(KMIZ)
A Columbia man who pleaded guilty two months ago to shooting and killing his stepfather was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison.
Samuel E. Brotherton, 23, pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 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 in August.
He is currently on the Boone County Jail's inmate roster. Brotherton was sentenced to 20 years for the second-degree murder charge and five years for armed criminal action, according to his lawyer, Cynthia Short. The sentences will run consecutively.
Brotherton called police the night of the shooting saying he had shot his father, according to previous reporting and court documents.
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.
“The police had come to my mom’s door and shortly after they left, she called and told me that Uncle Ron had been killed,” Hope Moore, Thompson's niece, told ABC 17 News on Friday.
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.
The prosecution was seeking 20 in prison on the murder charge and another five years on the armed criminal action charge. While the defense wanted the sentence reduced to 10 years.
“Ten years isn’t long enough for taking a man’s life who served our country, who did wonderful things in the community, took care of the elderly and I mean ten years is a slap on the wrist,” Moore said. “I don’t even think that the 25 that the prosecution is asking is enough for cold-bloodedly murdering somebody.”
Evidence included text messages from Brotherton before and after the shooting. Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office said in a news release that Brotherton shot Thompson as Thompson was behind a locked, bedroom door.
During the sentencing hearing the prosecution replayed Brotherton’s call to 9-1-1 in which Brotherton said, “I had an argument with my stepdad I was drunk and I shot him.”
Later in the conversation, Brotherton could be later reiterating that he shot Thompson.
They also showed a text message from Brotherton to his mother, Amy Thompson, which part of it included read “hope he tries me you’ll be coming home back to a dead man in bed,” after Brotherton claimed he was called fat by Rollin Thompson.
That message was sent just after 11:30 pm the night of the shooting.
Another message at 11:35 pm stated, “you may just have to represent me in court considering you are a death penalty lawyer, I f----- up.” Amy Thompson is a defense attorney.
The defense argued that Sam Brotherton was in a mental-health crisis. The prosecution on Friday also showed photos of the home that night, which showed the kitchen where a handgun was found. Police ran the serial numbers of the gun and found that it was stolen.
Other photos apparently showed the hallway leading into the bedroom where Thompson was shot. The photos showed blood on the inside of the door panel, the door knob in a locked position and holes about 48-50 inches high on the door.
Officer Scott Decker -- who has served as a detective with the Columbia Police Department for 20 years --also testified that officers could smell alcohol on Brotherton’s breath when they arrived on the scene.
The state also had members of Thompson’s family read impact statements Friday. That included his older sister Connie Sample, and Hope Moore. The prosecutor also read a statement from Thompson’s mother, a nephew and another one of Thompson’s nieces.
