Matthew Allen Wilkerson, a 47-year-old White man from Dudley, Missouri, was a friendly person who was always willing to help anyone. His life came to a violent and sudden end in a quiet residential area of Butler County on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
That evening, around 5:30 p.m., deputies from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home in the 600 block of County Road 544 for a report of a shooting. There, they found Wilkerson, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The county coroner later confirmed his death.
Investigators learned the shooting was the culmination of a family dispute that had been escalating for hours. Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs described it as a “very complicated situation” involving bickering between two people that grew until firearms were introduced. He noted that of the four individuals involved, none had called 911 for help. The sheriff stated that the situation was one that “totally didn’t require firearms” and could have been resolved through conversation.
All parties involved were interviewed by investigators, and a person of interest was quickly taken into custody. The investigation led to the arrest of a woman, Lesa Dawn Alcorn. She was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Matthew Wilkerson’s death.
Alcorn was scheduled for an initial court appearance in a Butler County courtroom on the morning of Thursday, March 7. As of March 2024, her case was proceeding through the justice system.
