Three arrested, charged with murder in death of Columbia teenager

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County prosecutors have charged a St. Louis man and two Columbia men with murder in the death of a Columbia teenager on Thursday.

Byron Sampson, 20, is charged with second-degree murder after he is accused of killing Traquan Reed, 18, on Thursday. Julius J. Mosby, 18, and Demetrius L. Mays, 22, both of Columbia, were charged Friday with first-degree robbery and second-degree felony murder.

According to court documents, Sampson hit Reed with a stolen truck with the intent of hurting him, causing Reed's death. Mosby and Mays were with Reed and the three were attempting a robbery before the crash, according to the heavily redacted court documents.

Columbia police said on Thursday officers were called for a report of shots heard and a crash on Boyd Lane. A truck was found crashed into the woodline one block over on Fair Lane.

Police said they found Reed unconscious near the scene. Court documents state Reed was found between the stolen truck and the woods at the end of Fair Lane by officers. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Officers learned the 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX was stolen from a dealership in St. Louis County, according to court documents.

Court documents state police found a bag of ammunition in the car and a handgun near the scene of the crash. They also found items they could trace back to the St. Louis County dealership, the documents say.

Police say in court documents that security footage shows three people walking south on a redacted road at 8:03 a.m. Another security camera shows the stolen truck parked one street east of the crash. Police said one person was seen in the passenger side with the door open.

According to court documents, the security footage police received shows at 8:07 a.m., two people with redacted names and Reed running away from the truck while it was turning around. One of the three has two bags and one has a gun.

Police say security footage shows the stolen truck turn around to intercept the people who just robbed another redacted name.

The two people were Mays and Mosby, court documents say. Investigators identified them through the security video.

Officers say a juvenile witness told them one of the men said "they went to buy a firearm and it was broken and they wanted their money back," court documents state. "[Redacted name] said he shot someone in the truck."

Sampson was arrested on Boyd Lane by officers shortly after the crash, according to court documents. He is being held at the Boone County jail without bond.

Mays was arrested in Springfield, Missouri, on Friday, a Friday afternoon press release from the Columbia Police Department says. He was listed on the Boone County Jail roster on Friday evening, but his mugshot was not available.

CPD wrote in a Friday evening release that Mosby was arrested on Friday by police in Indianapolis, Indiana. His mugshot was not available on the Boone County Jail roster on Friday night.

There are no outstanding suspects remaining, the release says.

An initial court hearing for Sampson was set for Friday afternoon. All three were ordered to be held without bond. Mays and Mosby's bond orders say authorities believe they have fled Boone County.

A confined docket hearing for Sampson was scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday and a preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7.