INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say a Missouri man who was free on bond while awaiting trial in a deadly 2017 shooting has been charged with killing a key witness in the case.
Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Dumas, of Pleasant Hill, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and three other felonies.
The charges were filed hours after a shooting in an Independence home left Sarah Simms dead and another person with minor injuries. Simms was a witness against Dumas in the fatal shooting of Phillip Anderson, whose body was found in a convenience store parking lot. Dumas is charged with second-degree murder in that case.
Dumas' attorney, John Picerno, says it isn't uncommon for murder suspects to be released on bond. He added that Simms isn't the only witness against Dumas in Anderson's death.