Shone Allen Swearingin, age 48, a white male from Strafford, Missouri, was found dead on the morning of June 8, 2018, lying in the eastbound lane of Highway WW just north of Springfield. His body was discovered by a passerby shortly after 3:30 a.m., and investigators quickly determined that he had been shot, marking his death as a homicide and shocking friends, family, and the local community.
In the days following the discovery, law enforcement worked to piece together the events that led to that quiet rural stretch of road becoming the scene of his final moments.
In the wake of Swearingin’s death, authorities focused their investigation on leads that ultimately brought them to a suspect. On the night of June 8, police arrested 23-year-old Adam Phillips of Springfield in connection with the case. Phillips was taken into custody by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and initially held without bond as investigators continued to build the case. The arrest came after detectives traced Swearingin’s last known movements, including reports that he had left with Phillips and a woman around 12:30 a.m. the night before his body was found.
As detectives interviewed Phillips, details emerged about his interactions with Swearingin. According to Phillips’ later statements to law enforcement, the two men had spent time together at Phillips’ home, where they shared a meal and conversation. Phillips described a subsequent drive during which an argument occurred, and he claimed that after expressing mutual affection, he shot Swearingin. He told investigators that Swearingin fell from the vehicle onto the road, where his body was later discovered. DNA evidence recovered from the vehicle and the firearm at Phillips’ residence played a key role in corroborating parts of the investigation.
Phillips faced multiple felony charges in connection with Swearingin’s death, including first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, and abandonment of a corpse. In March of the following year, through a plea agreement with Greene County prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The charge of abandonment of a corpse was dismissed as part of the agreement.
At his sentencing, Greene County Circuit Judge Thomas Mountjoy imposed concurrent terms for the convictions: 25 years for second-degree murder, 25 years for armed criminal action, and seven years for unlawful possession of a firearm. Those sentences, handed down in connection with the tragic death of Swearingin, were intended to provide some measure of closure for his loved ones after months of grief and uncertainty.
Swearingin’s funeral services reflected the life of a friend and family man remembered by those close to him, and his passing left a lasting impact on the community that had known him.
