Boone County murder suspect appears in court Tuesday
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man accused of a Boone County murder appeared in court through video Tuesday afternoon.
Justin Trader, 29, of Columbia, is charged with second-degree murder, vehicle tampering and first-degree property damage. He appeared via video from the Boone County Jail. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.
His next court appearance has not been listed yet.
Trader was arrested Monday in relation to a Sept. 11 crash and electrocution near Hartsburg. Andrew Moss intentionally crashed a Jeep into a utility pole, according to a probable cause statement.
Moss and another man stole the Jeep and planned to drive it into the Missouri River so its owner couldn't make a court appearance the next day, the statement says. Moss drove into the pole to cause damage before driving the Jeep into the river but was electrocuted by downed power lines when he stepped out, investigators wrote.
Another person -- labeled in the statement only by the initials T.R. -- was in the vehicle with Moss when it crashed and was there when he died, investigators wrote. The Jeep's owner reported it stolen the next day.
Trader gave Moss and T.R. the key to the Jeep and helped them plan the theft, the statement says.
