A Holts Summit man pleaded guilty to an amended charge Monday in connection with the June 2013 murder of a Jefferson City man.
Samuel Butler, 26, had been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action in the death of Anthony Unger, 25. Those charges were dropped, and Butler pleaded guilty to a single charge of attempted distribution of a controlled substance.
Butler testified in the murder trial last month of Domionte Cheatum, 21, Columbia, in this case.
Cheatum was accused of killing Unger, who was found in a parking lot on Conley Road in Columbia with six wounds from a .40-caliber handgun. Authorities said he was killed while trying to sell a large amount of marijuana to Cheatum.
Butler admitted he arranged a drug deal with his friend, Unger, but intended to pay for the drugs with counterfeit money provided by Cheatum.
For his testimony against Cheatum, Butler was told by the prosecution he would be considered for leniency if his testimony proved useful.
The jury in Cheatum's case came back with a guilty verdict on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.
Cheatum is scheduled to be sentenced next month. Butler is to be sentenced in September.
A third person charged in this case, Joycelynn Brown, 23, Jefferson City, is scheduled to be in court later this month.
She had also been facing a charge of second-degree murder in this case, but that charge was amended to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Brown told authorities she gave Unger a ride from Jefferson City to Columbia, where he looked to sell a half-pound of marijuana for $1,400.
They met Butler in Columbia. Eventually Brown, Butler and Unger followed two males - one believed to be Cheatum - in another car to the Conley Road parking lot.
Brown told police that Unger got out of her car, retrieved the package of marijuana from under the hood of the car, then got back into the car and showed Cheatum the marijuana.
Brown said Cheatum then got into the car with Unger and displayed a handgun, telling Unger, "I need you to give it to me."
Brown said when she saw the gun and heard the demand, she got out of the car and ran away.
Brown said she heard several shots as she ran.
After seeing the car with Cheatum and another male drive off, she returned to find Unger bleeding and unresponsive.