16-year-old certified as adult, charged with murder

The 16-year-old suspected of shooting Willie Brown Jr. on Sept. 7 has been certified as an adult and charged with murder.

The Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Mortez Zanell Cleaves of Cape Girardeau with second-degree murder and armed criminal action Wednesday.

Judge Scott Lipke signed for certification of Cleaves as an adult Tuesday.

Cleaves’ bond was set at $500,000 cash only. He was in custody Wednesday in the Cape Girardeau County Jail, although he originally was arrested out of state, according to a previous Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad news release.

During the investigation, major-case squad investigators talked to two unnamed witnesses and Tyyeema S. Cleaves, 23, of Cape Girardeau, according to a probable-cause statement filed by detective Jeff Lucas.

The first witness went to police headquarters and said Mortez Cleaves said he shot Brown, 31, of Cape Girardeau, six times, Lucas wrote.

The witness provided detailed locations of Brown’s wounds consistent with the actual injuries, according to the statement.

The witness also knew Mortez Cleaves’ mother told Mortez Cleaves to get out of town, Lucas wrote.

Investigators interviewed Tyyeema Cleaves, Mortez’s cousin, on Sept. 12, according to a probable-cause statement filed by detective Jeff Bonham.

Tyyeema Cleaves said she set up a drug deal with Brown to purchase Xanax pills, Bonham wrote.

She told investigators the plan was for Mortez Cleaves, who lived with her, to rob Brown after she had completed the transaction, according to statements filed by Bonham and Lucas.

Mortez Cleaves was waiting in the bushes at Hanover and Bloomfield streets before the deal was complete, and Tyyeema Cleaves said she heard shots come from that area as she was walking home, Lucas wrote.

Cape Girardeau Police responded about 9:30 p.m. to the 300 block of South Hanover Street, where they found Brown lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the probable-cause statements.

Brown was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center by ambulance and died a short time later, Lucas wrote.

Mortez Cleaves got home before Tyyeema, according to Lucas’ statement.

He showed her the black handgun, which matched the shell casings found at the scene, and asked to hide it in a hole in the wall of her bedroom, Lucas wrote.

Mortez said he had messed up “really bad,” and Brown could not live with six shots, according to the statement.

He also told her he had come out of an alleyway before shooting Brown, Lucas wrote.

The other witness was in the house with Tyyeema and Mortez Cleaves after the shooting and overheard Mortez say he shot Brown, according to Lucas’ statement.

Tyyeema Cleaves was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery and armed criminal action.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

300 block of South Hanover Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.