Inmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center charged with first-degree murder

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An inmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center was charged with first-degree murder on Thursday.

Matthew Ladue, 34, was accused of murdering another inmate on July 26 but striking them repeatedly, according to the indictment. The indictment says the victim died from “blunt force trauma to the head.”

No other details about the incident were provided in the documents.

An initial court appearance is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, March 28 at the Cole County Circuit Court.

Information from the Missouri Department of Corrections online records indicates that Ladue was serving a 20-year sentence for first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

Court records indicate that Ladue pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2016, to two counts of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Jasper County judge on the same day.

The Cole County prosecutor was not immediately available for comment. The Missouri Department of Corrections referred questions to the prosecutor's office.

First-degree murder is punishable by life in prison or death.