Former Moberly police officer gets 20-year sentence for murder
HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man convicted of murdering a woman outside of his home in Moberly was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.
David “Kip” Heyde, 69, of Moberly, was found guilty on June 26 of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Bailey Scott.
Heyde appeared in Randolph County Circuit Court at 1 p.m. Friday before Judge Robert Koffman, who issued the 20-year sentence. Prosecutors had asked for life in prison, the maximum sentence for this conviction.
On July 6, 2025, Moberly police were called to a report of shots fired in the 900 block of East Logan Street. Heyde allegedly claimed self-defense when he spoke with police.
Heyde claimed Scott hit him during an argument after she alleged he was “attempting to kill birds at the front of his property,” court documents say. Neighbors had talked with ABC 17 News the week of the shooting about ongoing allegations that Heyde put bird feed in the street in front of his home.
Heyde allegedly told police he fired two shots at Scott, court documents say. Scott was found with a gunshot wound in her right torso, the statement says. The statement says Scott “had no obvious signs of trauma or injury to either of her hands.”
Heyde originally received a post-conviction bond last November and kept his freedom until his bond was revoked not long after his conviction. A SWAT team arrested Heyde after he was seen in a vehicle that was heading north on Highway 63.
During the trial, the state pushed back on claims that Heyde was attacked, noting that in several interviews, Heyde used different language to describe the encounter.
During the sentencing, Scott's mother prepared an impact statement, which Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Luntsford read on her behalf because she was too emotional to read it herself.
"I don't want to breathe the same air as the man who took my daughter's last breath," the statement reads.
Scott's mother states that not only did Heyde kill her daughter, but he took her grandson's mother away.
In an interview with ABC 17 News, Luntsford said the prosecution had sought the maximum punishment of life in prison.
At the sentencing, Luntsford said it was important to focus on the case itself, not Heyde's background in law enforcement.
Gillis Leonard, Heyde's defense attorney, said Heyde was an elderly man with no criminal record before the deadly encounter. Leonard said that Heyde's actions were "a moment in time that resulted in tragedy."
During the defendant's statement, Heyde said that it was not his intention to kill or hurt anyone.
Before the sentence was read, Koffman asked Heyde why he used a gun if he didn't intend on a tragic ending.
Koffman said that Heyde's age was taken into consideration when deciding on the sentence.
