Willie Brown Jr., a 31-year-old Black man, was found with a gunshot wound on the evening of Wednesday, September 7, 2016. The Cape Girardeau Police Department responded to a report of a shooting in the 800 block of South Ellis Street where they discovered Brown. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation into his death led to the arrest of two individuals. Heather N. Visitor, then 30, and a 16-year-old male juvenile were taken into custody in connection with the shooting. The juvenile was certified to stand trial as an adult. Both Visitor and the teenager were charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and attempted first-degree robbery.
According to the probable-cause statement, Visitor and the juvenile had planned to rob Brown. During the attempted robbery, the juvenile allegedly shot Brown. Surveillance footage from a nearby residence captured audio of the incident, including a male voice demanding Brown's belongings and the sound of a gunshot.
Heather Visitor pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The juvenile was also prosecuted, though the specific outcome of his case is not detailed in the available online sources.
