NewsDecember 30, 2016
A look back at the top 10 stories of 2016
Editor's note: This compilation of the top 10 stories of the year is based on voting by the Southeast Missourian newsroom staff. ...
Editor's note: This compilation of the top 10 stories of the year is based on voting by the Southeast Missourian newsroom staff.
1. Sikeston man David Robinson's murder conviction appealed to Missouri Supreme Court
Sixteen years into a life sentence without the possibility of parole, David Robinson maintains he had nothing to do with the death of Sheila Box.
Since Robinson was convicted of murder in 2001 -- without any physical evidence -- the two men whose testimony put him away have recanted under oath, and another man, Romanze Mosby, confessed to the crime several times before committing suicide while he was in prison on an unrelated charge.
After a protracted legal struggle, Robinson's defense team managed to land his case before the Missouri Supreme Court.
Robinson's lawyer Jim Wyrsch spoke to the Southeast Missourian in December after the court announced it would hear Robinson's case.
"What it means for my client is that he has a chance to have his day in court," Wyrsch said.
The court has requested the state file a response in the case by Jan. 24.
2. Mississippi River flooding breaks records at the start of the new year
About 10 p.m. New Year's Day, the Mississippi River crested at the highest point in Cape Girardeau history.
At its highest point, the National Weather Service measured the river at 48.86 feet, besting the previous record set in 1993 by 0.37 of a foot.
Initial forecasts called for the water to hit the 50-foot tally over the first weekend in January.
The river instead receded, though being spared that extra few inches made scant difference to the dozens of homes and businesses that were already flooded.
Cape Girardeau County emergency-management director Richard Knaup said although the flooding was worse than in 1993, that flood helped Cape Girardeau County to be better prepared to face a record flood.
"Because of the '93 flood, we were more prepared for this flood," he said.
3. Mentally ill woman charged with assaulting law-enforcement officer
During a late-night missing-persons call, an officer tried to restrain 22-year-old Renee Boyd, who suffers from multiple mental illnesses, including Tourette's syndrome, and had been off her medications for five months.
There was a struggle, during which Boyd struck the officer and a paramedic who also was involved in restraining her.
For this, she was charged with two felony assaults and a misdemeanor.
Over the next few months, Boyd spent 39 days in jail and was in and out of court fighting the charges. During that time, the Cape Girardeau Police Department implemented training measures to respond better to calls involving mental illness.
In November, her charges were amended from felonies to misdemeanors, and she pleaded guilty.
4. Local developers announce Marquette Tech District
Mayson Capital Partners announced in April its plans to turn the iconic Marquette Hotel downtown from vacant building to high-tech startup central.
The proposed development, which included the adjacent H-H Building and Marquette Center, also included plans to install a Marriott "Courtyard" Hotel and casual-dining restaurant.
Lead developer Jeffery Maurer told the Southeast Missourian the $20 million undertaking is expected to draw 200 to 300 workers and guests downtown each day when completed.
"This is not a spec project," he said during an address at the annnouncement. "We believe we have the businesses that can make this viable from the beginning and going forward for a long time."
Fiber-optic installation, he said, would also provide the infrastructure needed to entice tech entrepreneurs to the area.
5. Neelys Landing man shot, killed by highway patrol trooper
On April 29, Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Donald Jason McBride pulled over Jeffery Darrell Hobbs, 48, of Neelys Landing after the officer observed Hobbs speeding. Hobbs pulled into the driveway of an abandoned day care in Cape Girardeau County, where he and McBride exited their vehicles.
Dashcam video and audio released in September captured McBride ordering Hobbs back into his vehicle, obtaining Hobbs' consent to search his person, and the scuffle that ensued when McBride tried to handcuff Hobbs.
During the struggle, Hobbs' vehicle starts and stops, starts again and drives in a semicircle as Hobbs drives, still with one hand cuffed and McBride being dragged alongside.
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McBride can be heard on the video telling Hobbs twice he will shoot him, which McBride did twice, killing him.
In July, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Limbaugh determined the shooting was justified.
6. Jackson finally tackles uptown traffic, builds roundabout
The Missouri Department of Transportation began constructing a roundabout in uptown Jackson in May.
The $1.5 million project, discussed for years and finalized in early 2015, was intended to relieve congestion at what MoDOT studies statistically identified as one of the most problematic intersections in Jackson.
The project faced vocal opposition from some residents for a number of reasons, but in the end, it did not have the detrimental effect some Jackson residents and business owners feared.
The combined efforts of the city and Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization to mitigate the disruptive effects of the construction were so effective, they earned statewide honors from the not-for-profit Missouri Main Street Connection.
7. Emergency c-section on dead mother saves baby following wreck
In May, Sarah Iler and her husband, Matt Rider, were headed to the hospital when a collision on Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau killed her. Emergency personnel hurried to perform CPR on her body for the sake of her unborn baby, Maddyson.
At Saint Francis Medical Center, an emergency cesarean section was able to save Maddyson, but at only 4 pounds, 15 ounces, she was put on a ventilator.
After a couple of days, she was taken off the ventilator, but it was not immediately clear whether lack of oxygen caused any lasting brain damage.
Iler's family later filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Maddyson's name, citing Rider, the driver of a semi truck involved in the collision and the company for which he works.
8. Keith Monia pleads guilty to nine counts of financial exploitation of elderly; had ties to murderer George Joseph
Keith Monia, 55, of Cape Girardeau pleaded guilty in late September to nine counts of financial exploitation of the elderly and stealing by deceit.
From 2007 to 2013, he stole $517,000 from elderly victims by convincing them he would invest sums of $10,000 to $120,000 on their behalf, which he pocketed instead.
Some of the money went to Monia's associate George Joseph, also of Cape Girardeau, who is serving two consecutive life sentences for killing his wife, Mary, and son, Matthew.
In a taped interview played at Monia's trial, Joseph told investigators he shot and killed his wife and son as they slept in 2013 to spare them the shame his financial situation would cause them.
The total prison time Monia could have received for his crimes was 165 years, but as part of his plea deal, he was sentenced to only 30.
He also was sentenced to pay restitution on the $517,500 he stole.
9. Man shot on porch in case of mistaken identity; was said to be holding baby
On March 31, Airious Darling, 21, was holding Corey Gilbert's 1-year-old daughter on the porch of Gilbert's residence at 612 Locust St. when Tavious Tipler, 18, approached Darling and shot him in the face, killing him.
Gilbert later told police the killer likely had intended to shoot him instead of Darling, and Darling's death was likely a mistake.
After his arrest, Tipler told police he had beaten Gilbert during a robbery in January. When the two men crossed paths earlier in March, Gilbert told Tipler he planned to go to the police regarding the robbery.
This, he told police, might have caused Tipler to seek him out.
Tipler was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child for the shooting of Darling, as well as second-degree robbery from the January incident.
10. Bereaved moms start SNAP group to address violence in south Cape
When Felice Roberson's son Quinton David Combs was shot and killed in November 2015, she was heartbroken.
When she learned he had been one of 60 people gathered at the 500 block of South Frederick Street when the shooting happened, and nobody had come forward to name the shooter, she was pushed to action.
"I'm angry about it," Roberson said in February, shortly after helping organize a group called Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please, or SNAP, to address violent crime in Cape Girardeau.
She, along with Pam Robinson, whose son Zatrun Twiggs was shot and killed in 2014, spearheaded the grassroots movement that culminated in a 200-person march in July that stopped to pray at shooting sites all across town and included police escorts to direct traffic.
Police chief Wes Blair was among those marching.
SNAP has been so successful in fostering community cooperation, Roberson since has been hired by the Community Counseling Center as an outreach coordinator.
tgraef@semissourian.com
(573) 388-3627
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