On February 15, 2015, 52-year-old Johnny Evans was fatally shot during a home invasion at his apartment in Jefferson City, Missouri. Evans, a cook at Helias Catholic High School and a father of 13 children, was targeted by individuals who believed he possessed money and drugs. The intruders forced entry into his residence on East High Street, where Evans was shot twice and ultimately died from his injuries.
Police arrested three men in connection with the murder: Charles Thompson, Vincent Smith, and Robert Burks. Investigators determined that the trio had planned to rob Evans. According to court testimony, Thompson and Smith approached the apartment while Burks waited in the car as the getaway driver. Smith kicked in the back door, and both men entered the home. Thompson, armed with a gun, confronted Evans and fired the fatal shots when the victim claimed he did not know what they were talking about regarding the drugs.
The legal proceedings resulted in mixed outcomes for the suspects. Charles Thompson, identified as the shooter, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, attempted first-degree robbery, and armed criminal action. In a 2016 trial where his accomplice Vincent Smith testified against him, a jury acquitted Thompson of the murder, robbery, and armed criminal action charges but found him guilty of first-degree burglary. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Robert Burks, the driver, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary in exchange for his testimony and the dismissal of murder charges; he received a five-year prison sentence.
