On the evening of December 27, 2012, a violent sequence of events unfolded in Jefferson City, Missouri, resulting in the death of 41-year-old Andre Hudson. A resident of Holts Summit, Hudson had traveled into the city that night and eventually found himself in the back seat of a Dodge Stratus near Zesto's Drive-In. Earlier that evening, two men, Calvin Hutson and Justin Beasley, had met at an apartment where Hutson expressed an intent to rob someone of marijuana.
He enlisted Beasley’s help to acquire a nine-millimeter handgun before they set out to meet Hudson.
The situation escalated quickly inside the vehicle where the meeting took place. While Beasley occupied the driver’s seat, Hutson and Hudson were in the back. According to court records, Hutson fired the weapon, striking Hudson. In the chaos that followed, Hudson was left mortally wounded in the car. The victim's wife, who had driven separately to the location and was nearby, witnessed the aftermath. When Hutson attempted to flee the scene on foot, she pursued him in her vehicle, ultimately striking him with her SUV before he managed to escape temporarily. He was apprehended by police shortly thereafter, suffering from injuries including gunshot wounds he claimed were self-inflicted or the result of a struggle, though he later altered his story to claim self-defense.
The subsequent investigation led to the arrest and charging of both men involved in the plot. Justin Beasley, who was 21 years old at the time of his sentencing in September 2013, cooperated with authorities and entered a guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder. He received a ten-year prison sentence, with a requirement to serve at least 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole. His testimony and the evidence gathered from the scene helped build the case against the shooter.
Calvin Hutson faced a jury trial where he was found guilty of second-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Despite his defense arguing that he had fired in self-defense after being shot first, the jury convicted him on all counts. The court handed down a severe penalty, sentencing Hutson to consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the murder, fifteen years for the robbery, and fifteen years for armed criminal action, ensuring he would spend a significant portion of his life behind bars for the orchestrating and executing the fatal robbery.
