Another man pleads guilty to murder in 2023 Dove Drive killing
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Another man has pleaded guilty to a lesser murder charge in a June 2023 fatal shooting on Dove Drive.
Jajuan Crockett, 23, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree murder, tampering with a motor vehicle, two counts of stealing and one count of tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He was previously charged with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, accessory to stealing, stealing more than $750 and tampering with evidence.
Crockett appeared in court by video. He is being held at South Central Correctional Center and is serving a six-year sentence in an unrelated case.
In court Friday, the state said it agreed to the 10-year sentence because it could not confirm whether Crockett was in either vehicle allegedly used in the shooting and he was not the shooter. However, prosecutors noted that he used his home as a meeting point and to dispose of evidence, according to court documents.
Court documents filed last month say Deazes Turner, Deljuan Turner and Alqueze Jones shot and killed Deshon Houston, 33, on June 26, 2023, from a white 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Ja’Shaun Barney; while Bryton Allen also shot at Houston from an Acura MDX driven by Damarkus Williams.
Investigators linked seven suspects to the shooting through witness descriptions of two vehicles and data from a stolen SUV that crashed while fleeing the scene. Both sides had more than 100 witnesses ready to go for this case if it went to trial.
On June 26, 2023, police found Houston shot in the head outside a home in the 3200 block of Dove Drive. Witnesses reported seeing the gunmen firing at Houston and another man through the sunroof of one of the vehicles.
Several men have taken plea deals in the shooting. Deljuan Turner pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Jones, 21, pleaded guilty that same month to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Allen, 22, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 20 years. He was also sentenced to four years in prison in an unrelated case where he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest in 2021.
Deazes Turner, 22, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Barney, 20, is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond and has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 5.
Williams, 20, is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail and has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 30.
