A Jefferson City woman charged in connection with the death of a Jefferson City man after a drug deal gone bad in Columbia in June 2013 is once again facing a possible trial.
Joycelynn Brown, 24, is charged with attempted distribution of a controlled substance. She was originally charged with second-degree murder.
She had pleaded guilty in March to the drug charge, but this week, Judge Gary Oxenhandler found her earlier plea was not proper and has re-set the case for possible trial later this year.
Boone County prosecutors said Brown and Anthony Unger, 25, Jefferson City, traveled to Columbia to sell marijuana to Domionte Cheatum, 22, of Columbia, in a deal arranged by another man. They say Cheatum shot Unger six times during a struggle on a Conley Road parking lot, near the Hy-Vee store and south of Sam's Club, that ensued when Cheatum tried to rob Unger.
Cheatum was convicted by a jury in June 2014 of second-degree murder and other charges in this case. His attorney has filed an appeal.
Samuel Butler, 27, of Holts Summit, who was accused of arranging the drug deal, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted distribution of a controlled substance in July 2014 after testifying against Cheatum. Butler was sentenced to 15 years in prison.