Wrong-way suspect charged with manslaughter

A 41-year-old wrong-way driver has been charged with manslaughter after his passenger died after apparently jumping from a Ford pickup truck last week on Interstate 55 and breaking his neck.

Myron Lee Tillman of Columbia, Missouri, was charged Wednesday in Scott County Circuit Court with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, first-degree assault, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, driving with a revoked license, operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, and armed criminal action through the use of the pickup truck as a “dangerous instrument.”

The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 29 when Tillman drove the pickup truck north in the southbound lanes of I-55.

Passenger Claude Nix Jr., 42, of Jackson, Tennessee, is believed to have jumped from the truck to avoid an impending crash around the 88 mile marker, according to a probable-cause statement. Sgt. Clark Parrott, the public information officer for the Missouri Highway Patrol, said Nix and Tillman were friends.

Missouri State Highway Patrol officer Landon Haggett wrote in the statement that the pickup truck struck the rear of a southbound vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle had swerved in an effort to avoid a collision.

As a result of the collision, the southbound vehicle traveled off the road and into a ditch, according to the statement.

The pickup truck driven by Tillman continued northward in the southbound lanes, the witness said.

Another man also witnessed the crash and gave a similar account, according to the probable-cause statement.

The body of Nix was found south of the crash scene, “which indicates to me that he exited the vehicle prior to the accident,” Haggett wrote.

“There were marks and items in the roadway, particularly a partial blood trail and pieces of clothing that indicated Nix exited the vehicle and skid across the roadway toward where the accident ultimately occurred,” the trooper wrote.

Scott County Coroner Scott Amick said Nix suffered skull fractures as well as a broken neck.

During the investigation, the state patrol satellite office in Sikeston, Missouri, received a call reporting that a black male was “hanging out” of a passenger window in the wrong-way truck.

Haggett wrote that the evidence suggests that passenger was Nix.

Tillman crashed the truck and fled at the 111 mile-marker off I-55 near Cape County Cowboy Church after colliding with another vehicle before coming to a stop between the interstate and outer road. He ran, wearing only his underwear.

Tillman was found and arrested early on Aug. 30 and initially faced misdemeanor charges in Cape Girardeau County in relation to the police chase that tied up traffic for hours and initiated a manhunt involving search dogs and a helicopter.

According to the probable-cause statement, Tillman was interviewed by state trooper Shannon Sitton at the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department in Jackson.

He said that Coy, a nickname for Nix, wanted to exit the pickup truck, according to the statement.

Tillman’s family members told investigators Tillman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had not been taking his medication.

He was being held Thursday in the Cape Girardeau County Jail.

Nix was a 1995 graduate of Merrillville (Indiana) High School where he participated in track, according to his obituary.

He relocated to Jackson, Tennessee, to help care for his stepfather.

“He could be considered a loner because he loved to relax and keep to himself, however enjoyed spending time with his family. His presence will be missed by those who knew him,” the obituary read.

A visitation was scheduled Thursday at Williams Funeral Chapel in Sikeston, Missouri. No funeral service was listed.

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