Poplar Bluff man convicted of manslaughter in shooting death

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Butler County jury took about five hours Friday to convict a Poplar Bluff man of a manslaughter charge in connection with the March 2010 death of sister-in-law's longtime boyfriend.

After hearing testimony from 13 witnesses, including Randy Paul Johnson, who testified on his own behalf, the seven-man, five-woman returned its verdict at about 11 p.m., finding Johnson guilty of voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. On Saturday the jury handed Johnson two, five-year sentences after having heard testimony from six witnesses during the penalty phase of the trial.

The 56-year-old sat solemnly and emotionless at the defense table with his attorneys, Mark Richardson and Kyle Warren, as Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett read the verdict convicting him of killing Gary Williamson, 60.

The jury had begun its deliberations at 5:55 p.m. after hearing the remainder of the state's witnesses and two for the defense.

Kellis Thompson, an investigator with the Butler County Sheriff's Department, said he processed the scene at the Johnson home in the 1500 block of County Road 428 on the night of March 17, 2010.

No weapons, Thompson said, were found around Williamson's body, but a Beretta .22-caliber pistol, as well as a knife, were found on a desk just inside the door of the home.

John Thrasher, a paramedic for Rural/Metro Ambulance Service, described Williamson as being cyanotic, without a pulse or any respirations, when emergency medical services personnel arrived.

Williamson, Thrasher said, had what he described as a small-caliber wound to the right side of his forehead.

Dr. Russell Deidiker, who performed the autopsy on Williamson at Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington, Mo., said he died from a gunshot wound.

The bullet, he said, entered at a "somewhat shallow" angle, and its path was front to back, right to left and slightly upward.

Deidiker said the toxicology results indicated there was a "fairly significant amount" of alcohol in Williamson's blood, as well as a prescription pain killer, muscle relaxer and medication to treat blood pressure.

The blood alcohol, Deidiker said, was .27, which he confirmed is the equivalent of .27 percent on a breath test.

On the night of the shooting, Butler County Cpl. Brandon Lowe said, he was nearing the Johnson home when he found Rebecca Boyd, aka Rebecca Williamson, laying beside the road. Boyd had lived with Williamson for seven years, but was not married to him.

When Lowe saw her, he said, he stopped and as he got out, "she was belligerent, saying: 'He shot my husband; he shot my husband.'"

Lowe said he put Boyd in his patrol car and continued to the Johnson home.

The defense's first witness was Randy Johnson, who testified for more than two hours.

When Boyd and Williamson arrived in the early morning hours of March 15, 2010, Randy Johnson said, he did not go with his wife to the Amtrak station to pick them up.

When his attorney, Jasper Edmundson, asked why, he said, it was because he had "expressed concerns about them coming at all."

Although he had only met Williamson once at his father-in-law's funeral, he said, he "didn't think we would get along that well. My first impression, correct or not, was he was a thug."

Prior to the visit, Randy Johnson said, he knew Williamson had spent time in the Texas jail for "attacking Becky."

On the day the couple arrived, Randy Johnson said, his wife had to work, so he, Williamson and Boyd "strolled the property -- I showed them where we lived."

At that time, he said, there was no alcohol in the house, and Williamson wanted to go get beer, but "I really didn't want to go."

Randy Johnson said he knew his wife, at the request of Williamson and Boyd, would be bringing some home with her.

"They drank quite a bit," he said. "I didn't drink that much. Teresa didn't drink that much."

There was no whiskey, he said, consumed that day and everyone got along fine.

The next day, Randy Johnson said, he offered to make breakfast, but "Gary said he would fix his own breakfast. He went and got a beer. He drank all day."

After his wife got off work that day, he said, the couples drove to nearby Beaver Lake, then returned home to eat dinner, talk and watch television.

On the morning of March 17, 2010, Randy Johnson said, the couples took a drive to the Van Buren, Mo., area. Williamson, he said, bought two, half pints of whiskey before they headed to Big Spring, and visited other sites.

Randy Johnson said there were two beers in the cooler, and he had one of them. He later had some whiskey, which Williamson had poured him.

Randy Johnson said they stopped at the Van Buren liquor store a second time, so Williamson could buy beer.

Later, he said, they stopped at Simmons Grocery at Ellsinore, Mo., where Williamson bought two more half pints of whiskey and a 30-pack of beer.

Upon returning home, Randy Johnson said, his wife and Boyd went to town to get pizza. While in town, he said, Boyd also bought beer, two half pints of whiskey and another liqueur-type drink.

"We drank a bunch of it; I don't know we finished it off," he said.

Randy Johnson considered himself "fairly intoxicated," Williamson "even more intoxicated" and Boyd "intoxicated." He said his wife had a couple of glasses of wine after returning home with the pizza.

"You regularly drink as much as you did" during those few days or normally drink whiskey, Edmundson asked.

Randy Johnson answered negatively.

Further, he confirmed the problems between he and his wife involved their son Ejango, who had gone to a nine-month technical school in Arizona.

After going to bed that night, Randy Johnson said, he told his wife that Boyd and Williamson had been drunk for three days and he had had enough. He said he wanted her to "get to them out of the house," as he wanted to get ready for Ejango's upcoming visit.

During the argument, Randy Johnson said, he pushed his wife, who was upset, and possibly crying, out of bed.

He said she went to the couple's room, and at first they did leave, but Boyd went back into the bedroom.

As Williamson was coming down the hall, Randy Johnson said, he could tell Williamson "was starting to get angry -- starting to swell up."

Williamson was looking for his boots, which, Randy Johnson said, he had tossed out on the front deck.

Randy Johnson said he opened the door, stepped aside as Williamson exited. After finding one of the boots at the end of the ramp, "he became enraged."

Randy Johnson said an argument ensued, and he didn't know if Williamson had a weapon or was reaching for a brick and/or a bronze eagle statute sitting on the deck railing.

After Williamson shoved him the third time, he said, he pulled his pistol from his pocket, and as he began to raise it, Williamson grabbed it with both of his hands, pushing his hand down. That is when the shot was fired, he said.

Pertinent address:

Poplar Bluff, MO