The trial of a St. Louis man charged with killing a Holts Summit man in December 2012 is scheduled to begin today.
Calvin Hutson, 36, is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Last year, Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green ordered a Jefferson City man to serve 10 years in prison, after he pleaded guilty to charges in this case.
Justin Beasley, 22, Jefferson City, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action charges.
Beasley and Assistant Public Defender Rick French told Green the guilty plea was part of an agreement with Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson, for 10-year sentences on the murder and robbery charges, and three years for armed criminal action - all to be served at the same time.
Beasley will have to serve at least 8½ years of the sentence before being eligible for parole.
Prosecutors said Beasley and Hutson were involved in the Dec. 27 killing of Andre Hudson, 41, Holts Summit, who was found dead in the back seat of a vehicle that Beasley was driving in the 200 block of West Schroeder Way in Jefferson City.
Police reports show a vehicle was seen leaving the area when officers arrived. It was stopped a block away and the driver, Beasley, fled on foot before being caught.
In interviews with investigators, Beasley said he and Hutson arranged a narcotics deal with Hudson. During the arranged transaction, Beasley and Hutson intended to steal the victim's money without providing him narcotics.
Police said Beasley told them he and Hutson met Hudson and conducted the transaction in Beasley's vehicle. But, Beasley added, gunshots were exchanged between Hudson and Hutson during the transaction, and Hutson fled before police arrived. Police said they found Hutson, suffering from gunshot wounds, a short distance from the 200 block of West Schroeder Way. A firearm and suspected narcotics were located along the path he traveled.
Police said Hutson told them he was a passenger in a vehicle, and Hudson entered the vehicle to discuss CDs. In his statement, Hutson said Hudson began shooting.
When he realized he'd been shot, he ran from the vehicle. Hudson's wife told authorities her husband had been a passenger in a vehicle she was driving, and he directed her to drive to the 200 block of West Schroeder Way to meet people. She believed he was going to conduct some type of narcotic transaction.
A few minutes after her husband got into another vehicle, Hudson's wife reported, multiple shots were fired from inside that other vehicle. She said she observed a man fleeing from the front seat of the vehicle, and she then drove away from the area. About a block away, she recognized the man she had seen running after the shots, but he pointed a firearm at her while she sat in her vehicle. She called 911, then turned onto the next block to see police taking Hutson into custody.