In the early morning hours of June 11, 2017, a resident of a home on Collier Court in Jefferson City, Missouri, made a grim discovery. On the couch lay the body of 39-year-old Dennis Damion 'Deon' Thompson, a resident of Holts Summit. Thompson, a Black male born in Miami, Florida, had been visiting the residence. The resident immediately alerted the authorities.
Investigators learned that on the previous evening, Thompson had been in the living room with an acquaintance, 24-year-old Shavontay L. Estes of Jefferson City. Estes had been asked to leave a nearby apartment and had requested to spend the night at the Collier Court home. By the time the resident awoke to find Thompson deceased, Estes was gone. An investigation into Thompson's death revealed he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
As detectives pieced together the events of that morning, surveillance footage from the area proved crucial. The footage showed a muzzle flash from within the residence around 5:00 a.m. Shortly after, Estes was seen leaving the home and departing in a vehicle. The case against Estes strengthened when it was discovered that in the weeks following the incident, he had allegedly confessed his involvement to two friends.
Based on the evidence gathered, Shavontay L. Estes was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Dennis Thompson. The prosecution alleged that Estes had placed a pillow over Thompson's face before shooting him. Following his arrest, Estes was detained at the Cole County Jail without bond to await further legal proceedings. His trial was scheduled to take place nearly a decade after the incident.
