Megan Bailey Nicole Glasser, a 21-year-old White/Caucasian female from the Lebanon, Missouri, area, died on April 16, 2022, after she was shot in the head inside the home she shared with her boyfriend near Stoutland in Laclede County. Glasser had been born on November 12, 2000, in the Lake of the Ozarks area and was raised around Lebanon, spending most of her life in Laclede County.
She graduated from Lebanon High School in 2019, had recently been working for Emerson Electric, and was also caring for her young son. Her obituary described her as an avid reader who enjoyed softball and volunteer work and said that caring for her child was the central focus of her life.
At about 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of April 16, Laclede County deputies were sent to a residence in the 28000 block of Sassafras Drive after a neighbor called 911. The neighbor had reportedly been approached by the grandfather of Glasser's boyfriend, Dillion Thomas Drake Bacon, who said Bacon had shot Megan in the head. When deputies reached the property, Bacon and his grandfather were sitting outside on the porch. Investigators reported that Bacon's clothing was covered in blood and that he was crying and insisting the shooting had been an accident.
Deputies entered the residence after another relative directed them toward a bedroom. Glasser was found lying face down on the floor. When a deputy turned her over in an attempt to provide lifesaving assistance, a gunshot wound was visible near her left temple. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities identified the weapon involved as a small, single-shot derringer that Bacon had been carrying in his pocket.
Bacon was arrested at the residence and taken to the Laclede County Jail for questioning. He told investigators that he and Glasser had been arguing in their bedroom before the shooting. According to the probable cause statement described by local news organizations, Bacon said arguments between them were common. He told deputies that while emptying his pockets onto a dresser, he removed the derringer and began waving it around while yelling as Glasser sat on the edge of the bed. Bacon claimed Glasser told him to put the firearm away and then made a swiping motion toward it. He said the gun suddenly discharged and maintained that he had not intentionally fired it.
Investigators questioned that explanation because of the way the firearm operated. Bacon reportedly acknowledged that the derringer would not fire unless its hammer had first been manually cocked, yet he claimed he had not pulled the hammer back. A deputy who tested the weapon reported that the hammer was difficult to cock, a circumstance authorities believed was inconsistent with the suggestion that it could have been accidentally pulled into firing position. Investigators therefore treated Glasser's death as a homicide rather than simply accepting Bacon's description of an accidental discharge.
The investigation also uncovered a reported history of violence in the relationship. During his interview, Bacon acknowledged that previous arguments with Glasser had become physical and admitted that he had choked and slapped her in the past. His grandparents reportedly told investigators that the couple argued frequently and that they had personally witnessed Bacon physically assault Glasser. They said one such incident had occurred only days before her death and that they had encouraged her to leave him. Authorities also learned that Bacon was already facing an unrelated domestic-assault case from Joplin dating to October 2021 and that a warrant had been issued in that matter.
Bacon, who was 22 at the time of Glasser's death, was initially charged with first-degree murder and felony armed criminal action. He was jailed without bond following his arrest. The prosecution alleged that his handling of the firearm and the circumstances surrounding the shooting supported a murder charge, while Bacon continued to maintain that the fatal shot had been accidental. The case eventually left Laclede County after a change of venue and was transferred to Morgan County.
The prosecution remained pending for several years. Bacon ultimately avoided the jury trial that had been scheduled to begin on August 3, 2026. On June 22, 2026, he entered a negotiated guilty plea to an amended charge of second-degree murder. As part of the plea agreement, the armed criminal action charge was dismissed. The court sentenced Bacon to 22 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
The plea brought the criminal case to an end more than four years after Glasser was killed. What had initially been described by Bacon at the scene as a tragic accident resulted in his conviction for murder after investigators examined the firearm, reconstructed the argument preceding the shot, documented his admissions of previous violence and obtained statements from relatives who said they had witnessed earlier assaults. No additional suspect has been publicly identified in Glasser's killing; Bacon was the person arrested at the scene, prosecuted for her death and ultimately convicted and sentenced.
