Murder charge filed in Poplar Bluff shooting

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man was charged Wednesday in connection with the weekend shooting death of another man authorities say he had ongoing conflicts with over the sale of illegal narcotics.

Paris Thomas, 23, was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm by Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Barbour.

He is accused of shooting Marcus D. McFarland early Sunday morning while the 29-year-old was seated in a car in the 1100 block of Benton Street.

McFarland, a resident of the 1800 block of Alice, suffered a single bullet wound to the abdomen. He died at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center of complications from the gunshot wound after undergoing surgery to repair a severed aorta.

Accompanying the complaint and probable cause statement filed with the court was a letter from Barbour asking Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth to hold Thomas without bond.

"Due to the nature of the crime, I believe that (Thomas) poses a danger to the community at large," Barbour said. "(Thomas) is a convicted felon and has an extensive criminal history. ..."

Bloodworth granted Barbour's request after finding Thomas does pose a threat to public safety and ordered he be held without bond until further order from the court.

The charges against Thomas stem from an investigation by members of the Poplar Bluff/Butler County Major Case Squad, which was activated after the shooting was reported to the Poplar Bluff Police Department at about 3:50 a.m. Sunday.

"Through the course of the investigation, the Major Case Squad was able to identify multiple people who the suspect told he had shot and killed Marcus McFarland," said Deputy Police Chief Jeff Rolland.

These conversations, he said, took place "shortly after the murder" occurred.

"They were detailed in nature and revealed things that the shooter would know," Rolland said.

Authorities recovered the handgun "believed used in the murder yesterday," Chief Danny Whiteley said.

It was found in the back yard of a residence near the intersection of Neat and Grand in close proximity to the homicide scene, he said.

"It was hid in a location to allow someone to easily retrieve it," Rolland said.

Contact, Rolland and Whiteley said, has been made with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives agents to conduct a trace to determine where the gun came from originally.

"A ballistic comparison also will be done between the gun and projectile recovered from the victim," Whiteley said.

At this time, according to Whiteley, officers do not have a "known motive" for the shooting; however, "we think there were some ongoing conflicts between McFarland and Thomas, which stemmed from the sale of illegal drugs."

Thomas currently is on supervised probation after pleading guilty in December 2010 to the Class B felony of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

He was sentenced to eight years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, with suspended execution of his sentence, and placed on five years' supervised probation.

In September, Associate Circuit Judge Thomas Swindle reportedly reviewed a second violation report and issued a capias warrant for Thomas' arrest for probation violation.

"I want to personally thank (Butler County) Sheriff Mark Dobbs and his department, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, for their assistance as members of the Major Case Squad," Whiteley said.

This investigation, Whiteley said, "solidifies the need for an organization, such as the Major Case Squad," because "without the large pool of investigators available almost immediately, this case could have easily gone unsolved for a long time."