Mistrial declared for man accused in Columbia hammer attack, hearing set for next month

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A mistrial was declared in the case of a man accused of using a hammer to attack a man near Stephens Lake Park in 2022 after the jury was deadlocked.

Daniel Dwyer, 53, of Columbia, was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. A status hearing is now set for 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5. He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

According to previous reporting, in June 2022, EMS responded to Lions-Stephens Park for a man that was face down under a shelter house near Windsor Street. A tip to CrimeStoppers indicated that a person named “Danny” had hurt an individual at Stephens Lake Park on Sunday with a hammer. The tip said that Danny lived close to the park, according to previous reporting.

According to previous reporting, the victim allegedly told investigators that he was sitting at the park with four other people, including Dwyer. The victim claimed he was smoking marijuana with the four others when everything went blank and he woke up at the hospital, according to court documents from previous reporting.

According to court documents in previous reporting, police spoke with Dwyer’s roommate, who claimed he asked her if he could borrow a hammer and told her that he was leaving to help a homeless friend.