Jury renders not guilty verdict in second-degree murder trial

After nearly 10 hours of deliberation, a Cole County jury found a Jefferson City man not guilty of charges he faced in connection with a murder committed in the early morning hours of Halloween 2016.

Traivon D. Jefferson, 23, was found not guilty of second-degree murder, attempted first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

When the verdict was read, Jefferson's family members burst into tears. After the jury was escorted from the courtroom, Jefferson turned to the family members, "I told you I didn't do it."

Assistant Public Defender Justine Finney, who was part of Jefferson's defense team, asked Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce, who presided over the trial, to consider releasing Jefferson as soon as possible, saying Jefferson had been in the Cole County Jail for over a year. She noted Jefferson does have a case pending against him from 2017 regarding unlawful possession of a firearm, which carries a cash or surety bond of $10,000. Joyce said she would make a judgment on that sometime over the weekend.

Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson told jurors during closing arguments of the trial Friday that Jefferson, while not the shooter, was involved in killing Terrance Davis, 29, who was shot in the 700 block of Michigan Street. Police officers found him lying in the street with two gunshot wounds after the officers responded to a 911 call of multiple gunshots fired.

Davis was taken to University Hospital in Columbia, where he died from his injuries.

An individual who came forward after the shooting told investigators Jefferson had spoken with them and others about his involvement in Davis' murder. Additional witnesses corroborated Jefferson had spoken to them about his involvement.

Jefferson was questioned and admitted to authorities he was involved in the interaction with Davis.

He told the police it was his partner, Terrance Wynn, 21, of Jefferson City, who intended to rob Davis, but Jefferson denied involvement in the robbery and said his partner was the only person to shoot Davis before both of them fled from the area.

Richardson told jurors to review the surveillance video footage of the murder recovered from a business on Missouri Boulevard, which he said showed Jefferson and Wynn approach Davis. One suspect fired a gun toward Davis, and the other bent down beside Davis and appeared to look for items to take.

After both suspects fled, one came back a moment later and shot additional rounds at Davis on the ground before fleeing again.

"Murders in a community affect everybody." Richardson told the jury. "Mr. Davis was minding his own business and was senselessly killed."

Jefferson's attorney, public defender Justin Carver, said Jefferson and Wynn had smoked marijuana and were trying to walk to Walmart to get some food when they came upon Davis and Wynn decided to rob him.

Carver reminded jurors it was Wynn, not Jefferson, who shot Davis. Carver also said Jefferson tried to keep Wynn from shooting Davis and after the crime, Wynn had threatened Jefferson.

"Mr. Wynn told my client,' You know what happens to snitches, don't you?," Carver told jurors. "Mr. Jefferson was there at the crime scene, but his presence alone is not enough to convict him," Carver said. "I submit that there is no evidence showing that anything was ever taken from Mr. Davis after he was shot."

In September, Wynn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree robbery in relation to the death of Davis.

Wynn had been facing a count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, as well as additional armed criminal action charges. However, those charges were dismissed as part of an alternative plea offered by prosecutors.

Cole County Senior Judge Richard Callahan accepted the plea and ordered a sentencing advisory report be completed by the Missouri Department of Corrections.

As part of the guilty plea, Wynn could be sentenced to life in prison or could decide to take a blind plea, leaving it up to Callahan to make the final sentencing, public defender Derek Roe, Wynn's attorney, said during a Sept. 10 court proceeding.

Wynn's next court date is scheduled for December.