Jury convicts Charleston man of second-degree murder over botched drug deal

A Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court jury convicted a Charleston, Missouri, man of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a teenager during a botched drug deal, prosecutors said Friday.

Following a two-day trial in Jackson, a jury Wednesday found Jonas Phillips, 30, guilty of murder, first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action. The charges stemmed from the May 19, 2016, shooting at a Cape Girardeau apartment building in the 200 block of North Lorimier Street.

The jury of two women and 10 men deliberated for just over an hour before returning the guilty verdict.

Prosecutors said Phillips fatally shot 17-year-old Andrel �Andre� Dolphin Jr. and wounded another teenager in the hip.

Police said they received a report of shots fired at 9:38 p.m. They discovered Dolphin in a parking lot behind the apartment building.

Jonas Phillips

According to police, Phillips and two others showed up at the apartment of Dolphin and Dolphin�s mother, Bernadette Mansfield.

Phillips shot Dolphin following a �failed drug deal,� Cape Girardeau County prosecutors said in a news release Friday.

Dolphin was shot as he was running along the breezeway of the apartment building, according to the statement. He collapsed about 30 yards from where he was shot.

He was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center where he died May 20 from his injuries.

The Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad, which investigated the murder, identified Daniel Venable as a potential witness.

Venable told investigators he had come to Cape Girardeau the day of the shooting with two people, Phillips and Lizzy Culbertson, to buy marijuana from and perhaps sell pills to Mansfield.

Mansfield demanded Culbertson and Phillips leave the apartment. They did and returned to the vehicle, Venable told investigators.

Venable said he was returning to the car after a scuffle when he saw Phillips standing near the street, shooting toward the apartment building.

One of the bullets struck Dolphin in the upper right back, exiting his chest.

Venable told investigators that he, Culbertson and Phillips fled to Charleston.

Phillips was arrested in Mississippi County two days after the shooting.

He initially faced six felony charges, but prosecutors subsequently dropped two of the felony charges.

Phillips faces a prison sentence of 10 to 30 years, or life imprisonment for the murder conviction, five to 15 years on the assault charge and at least three years in prison on each armed criminal action conviction, according to a court filing.

The case was handled by assistant prosecutors Angel Woodruff and Caitlin Pistorio. Phillips was represented by state public defenders Scott Reinagel and Stephanie Zipfel.

Judge Benjamin Lewis set sentencing for Jan. 14.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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