Son charged in hammer killing

A 23-year-old Cape Girardeau man has been charged with murdering his 55-year-old father, Charles E. Mosley.

Police say Clayton R. Mosley bludgeoned his father to death with a hammer in their home at 1854 Martin Court at about 3 a.m. Friday.

Clayton Mosley is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was in custody at the Cape Girardeau Police Department Friday afternoon pending transfer to the Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department. He was being held on a $1 million cash bond.

According to the probable-cause statement, Betty Mosley, who is Clayton's mother and Charles' wife, told police she was awakened about 2 a.m. by her son's yelling and cursing. She went into another bedroom where she reportedly saw her son hit Charles Mosley in the head with a hammer.

After the attack, Clayton Mosley allegedly demanded cash from her and argued over the $23 she gave him, the report said.

When Clayton Mosley said he didn't have time to wait for his mother to cash a check at an all-night store, she fled the residence and hid behind a car parked in the street, the report said.

Police say Clayton Mosley fled in his vehicle. Pemiscot County Sheriff's Department spotted the suspect at a Caruthersville, Mo., truck stop at about 4:30 a.m. and with the assistance of the Hayti and Caruthersville police departments stopped him at the Caruthersville city limits on a traffic stop. They turned him over to Cape Girardeau police, according to a Pemiscot County Sheriff's Department news release.

Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton pronounced Charles Mosley dead at the scene at 4:05 a.m. The cause of death was head trauma.

Neighbors said Charles Mosley was a kind and friendly man, a carpenter who took pride in his home. His death early Friday morning shocked the quiet neighborhood.

Neighbor Ed McGrew said the Mosleys were good neighbors during the eight or so years they lived next door.

He said he never heard any arguments between family members and didn't hear anything during the incident Friday morning. He said he awoke about 6 a.m. and saw the crime-scene tape around the house and later heard of the homicide on the morning news.

"Nothing like this has happened before" in the neighborhood, he said.

Andrey Agashchuk, who lived next door to the Mosleys for three years, said he occasionally chatted with Charles Mosley outside. Only two days ago they briefly discussed the new roof Charles Mosley was putting on the house.

"That was the last time I saw him," he said. "I liked him, but I didn't like his son."

Agashchuk said he was uncomfortable with the way Clayton Mosley would look into his front door from the Mosleys' doorway.

"I didn't know if he was looking to steal something or not," he said. "I never locked my doors, but after that I did."

Police Sgt. Barry Hovis said the homicide took place almost a year to the day after Cape Girardeau's most recent homicide case. On Jan. 6, 2006, Jacob L. Bowers, 17, died of a gunshot wound in what police believed was a drug deal gone bad.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127