Month: October 2023

Prosecutors in Greene County say a man who accidentally shot and killed another man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

21-year-old Blake Beckleman was accused of shooting and killing 20-year-old Laterrian Jarman in July of last year.

According to investigators, the two men were looking at a gun that Beckleman was showing off.

He believed the gun was unloaded, but when he pulled the trigger he shot Jarman in the neck.

Jarman was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.

Beckleman admitted to accidentally shooting him. He was the one who called 911 and used a shirt as a torniquet to try and stop the bleeding.

Beckleman pleaded guilty this week to involuntary manslaughter. He will be sentenced in January of next year.

The newest member of the Missouri Supreme Court has ties to Springfield.

Governor Parson says he has selected the honorable Ginger Gooch, who will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Patricia Breckenridge.

Gooch worked as a partner with Husch Blackwell LLP in Springfield for nearly 15 years.

Her appointment cements a female majority on Missouri’s highest court for the first time in state history.

The identity of a man from Springfield shot and killed in the city is now being released, and a suspect is in custody.

Police say 33-year-old Jacob Gutten was shot and killed Saturday night on Sheridan Avenue.

He was found by authorities in the road suffering from a gunshot wound. Gutten was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.

Shortly after authorities arrived, two suspects were taken into custody.

One of the suspects, 19-year-old Tanine Punyamra, was investigated and released with no charges filed at this time.

Another suspect, a 17-year-old juvenile, was charged with armed criminal action and second-degree murder.

The identity of the 17-year-old hasn’t been released due to them being a minor.

A disturbing trend at the South Central Correctional Facility in Licking is ongoing, as two more inmates have been pronounced dead.

Officials at the prison say the two inmates, 33-year-old Benjamin Powell and 43-year-old Chris Guest, died last week.

Powell was pronounced dead on Thursday, October 26, and Guest on Saturday, October 28.

Autopsies for both men have been scheduled to determine a possible cause of death.

Prior to last week, there had been seven deaths at the jail this year, bringing the total for 2023 up to nine.

Springfield Police are still investigating a shooting near an apartment complex Friday.

Shots were fired near the Meheli Pines apartments in the 1900 block of South Ingraham Mill Friday night.

No one was injured.

Police say they have not arrested a suspect.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Springfield Police.

Unseasonably cold temperatures will stay with us through Wednesday night, with wind chills expected to dip into the 10-15 degree range.

The National Weather Service says frost and freeze conditions will kill crops and sensitive vegetation. Bring plants into the house that you want to save, and unscrew outdoor garden hoses.

A man who robbed a Springfield bank in September has been arrested in his native state of Mississippi.

The U.S Department of Justice says 50-year-old Scott Tyner of Southaven, Mississippi, was charged in federal court on Friday.

Tyner was arrested earlier this month in Alabama after he allegedly robbed a Mississippi bank.

Tyner is charged with robbing the Legacy Bank and Trust in Springfield of over $5000 dollars.

Security camera photos showed Tyner wearing a Superman t-shirt.    

The Houston Tigers volleyball team lost to Stover in the state sectionals Thursday night, hours after they won a court battle.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association re-instated the team after a judge in Texas County ruled MSHSAA went too far in it’s ruling by taking away a district championship.

The three players took part in a benefit tournatment for breast cancer awareness.

MSHSAA says the girls violated a bylaw that forbids players to take part in an organized non school competition involving the same sport during the same season.

A number of community and state leaders have come out in support of the volleyball team.

Parkview High School plans to rebuild their gymnasium following a flooding incident that caused damage to the wood floors.

Springfield Athletic Director Joshua Scott said that the gym was supposed to last 5 more years before needing to be replaced, but a pipe bursting moved that timeline up.

The school discovered the damage in late September to early October. The gymnasium has not been used for P.E. classes or for athletic events since the discovery of the damage.

The new gymnasium should be finished by mid-January 2024.