On November 28, 2019, a tragic sequence of events unfolded on Thanksgiving Day in Jefferson City, Missouri, claiming the life of 17-year-old male Earle Key Jr. The teenager was at an apartment located at 1308 West McCarty Street when a disturbance at the door escalated into violence. Reports indicate that a man knocked on the door of the residence and, upon the door being opened, fired a 9 mm handgun, striking Key in the face.
The sudden act of gun violence left the young man dead at the scene, casting a shadow over the holiday for the local community.
The individual responsible for the shooting was identified as Torry Andre Upchurch, who was 27 years old at the time of the offense. After the attack on Key, Upchurch left the apartment and traveled to a separate location where he targeted a second victim, 33-year-old Shantae Hill-Cook. She was shot multiple times while in a vehicle. Following the shootings, Upchurch drove the second victim's car to the Jefferson City Police Department. He entered the lobby wearing blood-stained clothing and surrendered to authorities, reportedly confessing that he had just committed two murders.
Legal proceedings against Upchurch continued for several years following his arrest. Although he was initially charged with first-degree murder, he eventually reached a plea agreement. In 2023, Upchurch pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Key and Hill-Cook. A judge subsequently sentenced him to serve two consecutive life terms in prison, ensuring that the penalties for each life lost would run one after the other rather than simultaneously.
