Cape Girardeau man found not guilty on murder charge

After less than an hour of jury deliberation, a Cape Girardeau man was found not guilty Wednesday in connection with a 2019 shooting death of a man at an area apartment complex.

Maurice Patterson Jr. was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting of Richard Reeves, 53, of Decatur, Michigan, which occurred at The District at Cape on Dec. 11, 2019.

Patterson was also found not guilty on two counts of armed criminal action and one count of robbery in the first degree. The trial lasted two days.

"We're very happy with the verdict. We believe that the jury did the right thing and came to the right verdict based upon the evidence and the defense we were able to present," Jacob Zimmerman, defense attorney for Patterson, said.

Zimmerman said they were able to prove to the jury the state's witness was not credible.

Reeves was shot multiple times in the chest while in his daughter's apartment just before 10 a.m. the morning of his death, according to law enforcement at the time. He was later transported to Saint Francis Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

Police later identified two suspects, Patterson and Thomas Q. Bean. Patterson turned himself in Dec. 31, 2019, to Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Bean was the subject of a monthslong search before being arrested by authorities following an anonymous tip in August 2020. He was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

Bean's trial is set to begin Aug. 1.