Doniphan man pleads guilty to second-degree murder

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A Doniphan, Mo., man on Monday pre-empted his upcoming trial by pleading guilty to a lesser murder charge in connection with a 2009 shooting death of another man.

Thomas D. Cates, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action before Presiding Circuit Judge David Evans, a court official said.

Cates entered his plea after the Missouri Attorney General's office filed amended information with the court charging Cates with a lesser murder charge.

Cates' trial was scheduled to begin Monday in Howell County. He was accused of fatally shooting William R. Hamilton, 50, on Aug. 15, 2009, in Hamilton's Jackson Street home.

Describing Cates' plea as an "open plea," the judge will have the "full range of punishment" when he sentences Cates at 1 p.m. Aug. 2, the official said.

The penalty range for the murder charge is 10 to 30 years, or life imprisonment, which is computed at 30 years. The armed criminal action charge carries a mandatory minimum of three years.

The fatal shooting came after an argument between the men.

Pertinent address:

Van Buren, Mo.

Doniphan, Mo.