Public defender to be assigned to man accused of J. Pfenny’s shooting
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man accused of murdering two men in 2022 at a Jefferson City bar will be assigned a public defender after he was ruled to be indigent on Monday.
Damien Davis, of Kansas City, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and illegal gun possession in the shooting death of 26-year-old Skylar Smock and 43-year-old Corey Thames on Nov. 26, 2022 at J. Pfenny's Sports Grill and Pub.
Davis was previously denied a public defender after he was determined to not be indigent in January. He was also assigned a public defender in 2022 after being denied. Davis is being held in the Cole County Jail without bond. A hearing is set for 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29.
Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson filed a notice of intent in September to seek the death penalty.
Smock, who was an employee at the bar, tried to break up a fight and remove Thames from the business when Davis started firing shots, according to investigators.
Police say Davis admitted to firing shots at Thames but says he unintentionally shot Smock. Davis has prior charges that prohibit him from having a gun, according to online court records.
