Criminal proceedings against a West Plains woman charged with murder have been suspended after a judge ruled her mentally incompetent and ordered her committed to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, according to court records.
Brandy G. Wilson, 51, faces eight felonies in connection with the Nov. 21, 2024, shooting death of 48-year-old John L. Wilson Sr. at a home on Columbus Street in West Plains. Police determined several rounds had been fired from both inside the residence and out in the street. After being wounded, the victim ran to a neighbor’s house, where he was discovered on the porch and pronounced dead.
Wilson is charged with first-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of first-degree domestic assault resulting in serious injury.
According to investigative reports, she told officers her husband had been abusive over the past few months and she "snapped" following an argument at their home. Court documents indicate she told investigators her husband called her "crazy" and threatened to admit her to a psychiatric ward for evaluation because she claimed to hear people outside there home when he did not.
Wilson also reportedly claimed she overheard her husband on the telephone asking someone to kill her, believed he placed a hit on her and reported hearing snipers both inside and outside the house. She told police that during an argument, a physical scuffle ensued. She said she picked up a pistol from a bedroom nightstand, shot her husband, then continued firing at him as he ran from the house.
Though Wilson initially pleaded not guilty, the recent court order suspends the criminal case. The order states that “as a result of mental disease or defect” Wilson “lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings against her” or to assist in her own defense.
Court records show Wilson has been committed to the custody of the director of the Department of Mental Health. She will remain held in the Howell County Jail until bed space becomes available at a state facility. The order requires the director to file a report in six months determining whether Wilson has regained competency to stand trial. If she remains incompetent at that time, the department must evaluate whether she is likely to achieve competency in the foreseeable future.
Wilson is represented by special public defender Lacon Smith and Missouri Department of Mental Health attorney Modupe Oyedeji, both of Springfield. Howell County Prosecutor Mike Hutchings and Assistant Prosecutor Rizwan Ahad are handling the prosecution.
