Man accused in killing had previous conviction overturned

ST. LOUIS -- A man accused of killing a St. Louis-area woman and putting her body in a garbage container has a previous murder conviction, but one that was overturned in court.

The suspect, 51-year-old Paulren Stepter, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Brandy Morrison. She had been shot in the head. Her body was found in a landfill in Marissa, Illinois.

Marvin Payton of St. Louis told KMOV-TV his mother was shot and killed inside their home in 1986. Stepter was arrested and convicted of that crime, but the Missouri Supreme Court overturned the conviction on what Payton described as a technicality. In his new trial, he was found not guilty.

Stepter is jailed without bond in the death of Morrison.

Information from: KMOV-TV, http://www.kmov.com