Six homicides in Columbia this year; fewer than 2022 so far

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Six people have died by homicide in Columbia in 2023, according to a review of city news releases by ABC 17 News.

The sixth homicide was added Thursday after a man allegedly killed his father on Medina Drive.

Press releases from the city say there have been five fatal shootings and one fatal stabbing since January.

The charges associated with those crimes range from first- and second-degree murder to armed criminal action and gun charges.

A total of 12 suspects are possibly connected to these killings, with five of them still at large, according to police.

One of them is a juvenile currently awaiting charges.

With the year mostly over, 2023 is on track to be less deadly than 2022, when 10 homicides were investigated. The 13 suspects in 2022 killings were given charges ranging from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter, attempted robbery, and more.

Eight of those were shootings. The other two included a hammer attack and a person who was pushed off a bridge.

Most of the homicides from 2022 and 2023 happened in northern Columbia.

For 2023 most of the homicides occurred in late spring and early summer, whereas a majority of homicides in 2022 happened in the fall and winter months.

According to the FBI's Crime Data Explorer, violent crime in the state of Missouri dropped from 542 crimes per 100,00 people in 2021 to 488 in 2022.

Data for 2023 has not been released yet.

2022 Columbia homicides

• 1-17-22: Shawn Long was arrested and charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action after accidentally shooting and killing his friend Roberto A. Lauer. Long has since pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections and five years of supervised probation.
• 2-19-22: Samarion Robins, Oscar Ashford and Tavan Williams-Patrick are facing second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges after shooting and killing 15-year-old Aubry Doxley through her bedroom window. Ashford is accused of driving the car that Robins shot from and will be charged as an adult. Robins and Ashford have hearings scheduled for Nov. 27. Williams-Patrick has hearings scheduled for Oct. 30, Nov. 13, Dec. 11, Dec. 18 and 19 before he faces a jury trial on Jan. 8, 2024.
• 3-21-22: Samuel Brotherton was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action after he shot and killed his stepfather in their home after an argument. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in the Department of Corrections.
• 5-8-22: Issac Bryant was charged with felony counts of second-degree murder and armed criminal action after being accused of shooting Demetrius Ware, 37, outside a home on Grand Avenue. Ware was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He is set to head back into court for a hearing on Nov. 9.
• 8-20-22: Loyal Martell and Joshua Dudley are being charged with a deadly shooting in a Moser's parking lot which killed Shavez Waage, 22. Prosecutors charged Martell with first-degree murder, armed robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. Dudley was charged with second-degree murder, armed robbery and armed criminal action. Martell is set to face a judge in the Boone County Courthouse on March 4 and April 17, 2024. Dudley will be sentenced on Nov. 13 at the Boone County Courthouse.
• 10-4-22: Jessie Williams is being charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly pushed Kaylen Schmitt off the Highway 63 bridge causing her to fall 38 feet into a wooded area below. She was taken to the hospital and died hours later. Williams has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Boone County Courthouse on Nov. 6.
• 10-10-22: Adam Conner was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence after a 58-year-old woman was found dead in a closet in a garage on High Quest Drive. The victim suffered from blunt force trauma to the head and a bloody claw hammer was found at the scene. Connor had told his mother to not go into the garage the day of the killing, according to the police interview with her. A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Boone County Courthouse on Dec. 1.
• 11-5-22: Cadilac Derrick was arrested in Moberly and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action after he allegedly committed a double homicide on Boyd Lane. Police identified Lea'johna Sanders, 22, and Laura Myers, 53, both of Columbia as the victims. Derrick has two hearings scheduled for Oct. 30 and Nov. 13 at the Boone County Courthouse at 9 a.m. on both days.
• 11-14-22: Montez Lee Williams was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, shooting from at or from a car at a person, endangering a child, unlawful possession of a firearm and resisting arrest. Columbia Police Department found April Joann Brooks dead from a gunshot wound in a car after the two had an alleged argument. He is set to head back into court for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 30 before a jury trial takes place on Nov. 7.
• 12-5-22: Corey Blueitt was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, assault in the third-degree and armed criminal action after shooting Aaron Badolato on Newtown Drive. Badolato later died in the hospital. He is set for a pre-trial conference on Jan. 16, 2024 before facing a jury trial on Jan. 23, 2024.

2023 Columbia Homicides

• 1-10-23: Prosecutors charged Emma Adams with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with evidence and abandoning a corpse after she killed and burned Samuel Clemons, a highly functional autistic University of Missouri student. She allegedly told police she stabbed the victim in self-defense. However, police found a cellphone matching the victims in water and found human remains and smelt burning flesh from a smoldering fire pit in the backyard. Investigators also found a bloody pocket knife in the kitchen. She pleaded not guilty. The case has been suspended for a mental evaluation of Adams. No hearing or trial date has been set.
• 5-7-23: Samuel Moss Jr, Kimo Spivey and Justin Simpson are all being charged with second-degree murder and other charges in connection to shooting and killing Melvin Hooker III near Plush Lounge on Business Loop 70 East. A witness said that Hooker was involved in an argument with a group of people before the shooting. Moss is scheduled for a hearing at 9 a.m. on Nov. 20. Spivey's hearing will be at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 30. Simpson is currently not in custody.
• 5-22-23: A juvenile was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action following the murder of Janet Jago who was found shot in her home on East Tayside Circle. She was taken to a hospital where she later died. Jermaine M. Burnett, an adult, was also involved in the shooting and robbery of Jago. The day after the shooting, Burnett was in a nine-hour standoff with Columbia police. He was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The courts are currently deciding if the juvenile should be tried as an adult. The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the Boone County Courthouse.
• 6-26-23: Columbia Police arrested Jajuan Crockett, Damarkus Williams and Bryton Allen in connection with the death of Deshon Joseph Houston who was found shot dead outside of a home on Dove Drive. CPD is looking for Alqueze Jones, 19; Deljuan Turner, 19; Ja’shaun Barney, 18; Deazes Turner, 21, who are also suspected to be involved with the homicide. All the men involved are being charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Crocket has a hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Boone County Courthouse. Allen's hearing will be at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 27. and Williams' hearing will be at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 4.
• 9-24-23: Larry Brownlee Jr. was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of a 3-year-old. Two adults rushed the child who had been shot in the torso to Columbia Fire Station No. 9 for help. Police then took the child to the hospital where he later died. The prosecution did not elaborate on Brownlee's alleged role in the shooting. As of Friday, the plaintiff has dismissed the suit against Brownlee without prejudice.
• 10-26-23: 22-year-old Alen Muslic was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for allegedly stabbing his father Zufer Muslic, 62, to death in front of their home after they had gotten into a fight early Thursday morning. Muslic is in custody at Fulton State Hospital. A Boone County prosecutor said the punishment range for first-degree murder if Muslic is convicted ranges from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Currently, there are no scheduled hearings or trials for this case.