On December 6, 2021, authorities in Springfield, Missouri, began an investigation following a violent incident in the northern part of the city. Police responded to a report of a shooting in a neighborhood, where they discovered the lifeless body of 61-year-old Lavona R. Haddock. She had suffered fatal injuries consistent with gun violence and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Detectives with the Springfield Police Department’s Homicide Unit quickly began gathering evidence and
speaking with potential witnesses to piece together the events leading up to the shooting. Through their investigation, they identified a primary suspect, 66-year-old Lilburn W. Motley, a resident of Springfield. The following day, on December 7, members of the department's Special Response Team located Motley at a residence on South Thelma Street and took him into custody without incident.
Lilburn Motley was subsequently booked into the Greene County Jail. Prosecutors reviewed the case and filed formal charges against him, including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The case proceeded through the legal system as investigators finalized their reports on the circumstances surrounding Lavona Haddock’s death.
