Caruthersville man convicted of first-degree murder in 2018 killing
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo., (KBSI) – A Caruthersville man has been convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the 2018 shooting death of a woman, according to the Pemiscot County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Dicus said a jury found 33-year-old Wendell A. Prather guilty following a four-day trial that concluded July 2.
The charges stem from the July 19, 2018, fatal shooting of 26-year-old Keniqua Jones on Walker Street in Caruthersville.
According to prosecutors, officers responding to a shooting call found Jones unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities located Prather the following afternoon wading in the Mississippi River. Investigators said he later admitted to shooting Jones in the back of the head after receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. They also said Prather provided details about the homicide that had not been released publicly.
Josh Underwood presided over the trial. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 19.
Under Missouri law, a conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The armed criminal action conviction carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Caruthersville Police Department, the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
