Mother of Columbia teen robbed and killed in June speaks out after teen suspect pleads not guilty following adult certification

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police suspect a Columbia teen who was charged as an adult with murder Friday could have fired a gun into the victim's vehicle, according to a probable cause statement.

Rodney Moore Jr., 16, is charged with second-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action in the death of 18-year-old Zarian Simpson in June 2025.

"All of the range of punishment that an adult offender would face would be available for that juvenile offender now and they will be treated on that case as an adult moving forward," said Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Buchanan.

Faith Mejia, Simpson's mother, recalled the moment the judge decided to certify Moore as an adult.

"I'm hearing his family ask for a hug and it hurt a lot because I don't get to hug mine," Mejia said.

Officers were sent to the Eastgate Apartments at Old 63 and Broadway on June 15 when police found Simpson with a gunshot wound and he was treated at the scene.

Simpson later died at an area hospital. He had graduated from Hickman High School a month before. Mejia said Simpson was also enrolled at Moberly Area Community College to start classes in the fall.

"We were going to attend classes together because we both were enrolled," Mejia said.

Court documents state Boone County Joint Communications received a 911 call just before 8 p.m. from Simpson, reporting he had been hit in the face with a gun and his bag was stolen. Prosecutors wrote in new court documents that Moore had allegedly pistol-whipped Simpson.

Mejia said Simpson was a hard worker, taking on three different jobs while in school. She said he like to show off the rewards of his work and was known by many to often carry large amounts of money on him at times. She believes this played a role in the actions of Moore and the other three defendants on June 15th.

"My baby lost his life for nothing," Mejia said. "He didn't even have his money on him, they got nothing."

Police said Simpson told dispatchers he was following the suspects in his car when shots were heard and he stopped responding.

Mejia said she raised her kids to always stand up for themselves and each other, but following her son's death she said her perspective has shifted.

"I regret teaching my kids to fight everything out," Mejia said. "Because people don't fight with their hands no more, just the reality of it."

Around the same time Simpson stopped responding to dispatchers, BCJC reported getting multiple reports of shots being fired on Sunrise Drive. Court documents state a caller said a purple Camaro ran into his deck and that the man inside the car, Simpson, was wounded.

Police said another witness saw a man in all black clothing run away and put a gun in his pants after the shots. Police believe the person in black clothing was Moore, according to the probable cause statement filed in his case. They placed Moore at the murder scene in part by location data in the Life360 cellphone app.

Mejia said she wants to see more awareness from parents in the community about what their kids are doing, who they are involved with and what they are involved in.

"These kids have guns, real guns and they don't understand that used the wrong way, or used in the wrong situation, that can be your life or somebody else's in an instant," Mejia said.

She said parents who feel they have lost control should look into available resources for help.

"Don't just let them go out there because they don't know what they're doing. They're going to fall in the hands of someone like Steven Paden, who will have them out here robbing and killing people," Mejia said. "Then you'll have to watch your child sit in front of a judge and be certified as an adult for a murder."

Steven Paden IV, 34, was charged with robbery in the first degree, armed criminal action and second-degree murder in the death of Simpson in June.

Two juveniles were taken into custody with Paden for their roles. Moore's probable cause statement says Paden is in a relationship with the mother of those two juveniles.

Paden is set to go to trial in June.

Moore pleaded not guilty through is lawyer Friday afternoon. He is being held without bond.

A hearing on a motion to reduce Moore's bond will be held next week.