A no-bond warrant has been issued for Patrick Lee Paul, 26, on felony charges in Shannon County, including a count of of second-degree murder. The public records show he was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning before Associate 37th Circuit Judge Sandra Brewer in Shannon County.
Paul is also charged with stealing a motor vehicle and stealing other property. The charges, all felonies, are the result of an investigation into the shooting death of a 70-year-old Eminence man, believed to have likely taken place Dec. 26, at the victim's home. Court records have not identified the victim by name, nor where the defendant lives. He is the second individual charged in the case.
A probable cause statement submitted to prosecuting attorneys by patrol Cpl. Paul Wells, of the Division of Drug and Crime Control, reports that on Dec. 29, the Shannon County Sheriff's Department requested assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol regarding a man found dead near the driveway of his home, with apparent gunshot wounds to the head and torso and .38-caliber bullet casings found nearby. A Jan. 4 autopsy showed the man had a gunshot wound to the head and another to the torso, Wells added.
During Wells’ investigation, it was reportedly further discovered the home appeared to have been searched through for items to steal and the victim's vehicle was missing, described in Shannon County Prosecutor William Seay's complaint as a 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe.
A witness later recalled to Wells seeing a suspicious vehicle travel down a county road past the witness’ house earlier that week, and about an hour later saw it again, apparently chasing the victim's vehicle at a high rate of speed in the direction of Highway 19. The witness estimated the date to be Dec. 26 or 27.
The victim’s vehicle was entered into law enforcement databases as stolen and was allegedly found Dec. 31 in Kansas City, Mo., in the possession of Kelly G. Marks, 41, of Olathe, Kan. Marks reportedly told law enforcement he bought the Tahoe a few days prior from Paul for $500, and surveillance camera footage appeared to show the transaction took place on Dec. 28 at a gas station in Kansas City.
On Jan. 3, Wells noted, investigators were able to track transactions made with the victim's debit card, reportedly showing the card was used around 10 a.m. Dec. 27 at a convenience store in Sedalia, and he added that surveillance footage from the store allegedly shows Paul driving the victim's vehicle.
Using that information, law enforcement canvassed surveillance cameras along routes that could have been traveled from Eminence to Kansas City, reportedly finding the victim's vehicle had stopped at about 7:12 p.m. Dec. 26 in Salem, then traveled to Rolla, and then Vienna, where Paul is allegedly seen getting out of the vehicle, entering a store to make a purchase and leaving the store in the same vehicle.
Wells added in his report the timeline and locations of the sightings left little to no doubt Paul was a perpetrator of the murder and theft, with no extra time for the suspect to have come into possession of the vehicle any other way.
Marks continues to be held on $25,000 bond, and he is also scheduled for arraignment Tuesday before Brewer in Shannon County, court records show.
As of Monday afternoon, no attorney is listed as representing either defendant in public court records.
