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Court documents: Columbia murder suspect urged witness “not to tell on him”

September 27, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

The Boone County Circuit Court describes 28-year-old Larry Brownlee Jr. of Columbia as “a flight risk and danger to the community” (September 2023 mug shot courtesy of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department website)

A Columbia man charged with shooting and killing a three-year-old child Sunday afternoon remains jailed without bond this (Wednesday) morning.

A Boone County circuit judge describes 28-year-old Larry Brownlee Jr. as a flight risk and a danger to the community. Boone County prosecutors have charged Brownlee with second degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

939 the Eagle News has obtained the Columbia Police Department’s heavily-redacted two-page probable cause statement against Brownlee, which indicates the child’s mother told CPD detectives conflicting stories about what happened on Sunday. She’s quoted as originally telling police that the child was shot as they were returning from grocery shopping, but later told police she was in the kitchen when she heard a “pop” in the bedroom and saw the child shot in the stomach.

The mother is quoted by CPD investigators as saying Brownlee asked her multiple times “not to tell on him.”

Boone County Circuit Judge Jeff Harris has denied bond for the suspect, describing him as a danger to the community. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson has filed a two-page motion for no bond, saying Brownlee shot the child in the stomach. Prosecutor Johnson’s motion also notes Brownlee has several previous convictions, including for assault and domestic assault.

Mid-Missouri prosecutor seeking death penalty in stalking/murder case

April 13, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Cole County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 36-year-old Sergio Sayles, who’s charged with first degree murder (April 2023 mug shot courtesy of the Cole County Sheriff’s Department)

The prosecutor in mid-Missouri’s Cole County will seek the death penalty for the gruesome murder of a Jefferson City woman who was stabbed to death.

Prosecutor Locke Thompson has charged 36-year-old Sergio Sayles with first degree murder and stalking. Prosecutor Thompson’s court filing notes murder victim Jasmine King was a witness in the state’s prosecution of Sayles as a stalking suspect, and that she was killed as a result of her status as a witness.

The court has denied bond for Sayles, describing him as a flight risk and a danger to the community. Court documents allege that Sayles threatened to shoot the victim in the face and kill her in 2021, and that the victim feared for her safety at that time.

The Jefferson City Police Department’s probable cause statement says the victim was stabbed in the head, face, neck, chest, torso and back. Court documents indicate the victim’s body was covered in blood when she was discovered by family members. The death penalty filing from Prosecutor Thompson indicates the murder involved torture or depravity of mind.

ABC-17’s Nia Hinson from our news partner KMIZ reports Sayles’ attorney wants a judge to set bond for Sayles.

The last convicted murderer from Cole County to be sentenced to death was former firefighter David Hosier, who was convicted of the brutal 2009 killing of Angela Gilpin in Jefferson City. Her estranged husband, Rodney Gilpin, was also shot to death in the West Main apartment.

Federal judge: Jefferson City bank fraud suspect is a flight risk

September 21, 2022 By Brian Hauswirth

A Jefferson City businessman indicted for an alleged $27-million bank fraud scheme will remain in federal custody until his trial.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. has ordered 59-year-old Tod Ray Keilholz detained until the trial, citing prior criminal history and criminal behavior while on probation or parole. In a scathing three-page order, Judge Epps describes Keilholz as a flight risk, noting his prior attempts to evade law enforcement and the use of aliases or false documents.

Keilholz is also charged with identify theft, accused of stealing the social security numbers of 104 people. It’s unclear from court documents whether any or all of those 104 people are from central Missouri.

Federal prosecutors say Keilholz allegedly stole millions of tax dollars in his scheme, including $12-million from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). FBI agents arrested him last week in Jefferson City.