Theft of pills cited as motive in man's killing

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man continues to be held without bond after he was charged Friday with causing the death of another man over the alleged theft of prescription pills.

Edward William Weaver, 23, was charged with first-degree murder.

The complaint filed with the court alleges on or about Aug. 22, Weaver caused the death of Norman K. Jones by shooting or strangling him.

Although an autopsy was performed on Jones on Friday morning, his cause of death has not been released.

"Details of the autopsy are not being released, pending toxicology and histology," said Butler County Coroner Jim Akers, who indicated Jones' manner of death was homicide.

Toxicology results typically take six to eight weeks.

Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said Jones' arms and legs were bound, and there was an apparent ligature around his neck.

Investigators "believe the actual motive for the crime was that the victim allegedly stole some narcotics from the suspect," Dobbs said.

Butler County Sheriff's Sgt. Wade Dare, who stopped to check on an abandoned vehicle in a ditch along County Road 355, discovered Jones' body about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Detecting what Dobbs earlier described as an obvious odor of decomposition, Dare found the body of a white man in the trunk.

The body later was identified as Jones, the owner of the vehicle, who had been reported missing the previous day to Poplar Bluff Police.

"Unfortunately, the victim had recently became addicted to illegal drugs, and his habits had became very troublesome and unknown to (his) wife," Dobbs said.

Betty Jones reported her husband left their home Aug. 22 in their Nissan Sentra and was supposed to be with Weaver's father, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Johnson reported in his probable-cause statement.

Dobbs said there was no "clear-cut purpose as to why they were on that road. They had been wandering around all night."

Dobbs said police feel "pretty certain" Jones died in the trunk of the car where it was found.

"He was alive when he was put in the trunk, (and) as a matter of fact, he was even alive when a bystander stopped to give them aid," Dobbs said. "That is a scary situation. I'm glad the suspect didn't panic and try to hurt the bystander."