A Columbia man has been found guilty of second-degree murder for the shooting death of a Jefferson City man.
The family of 21-year-old Domionte Cheatum erupted in tears and anger after the verdict was announced Thursday at the Boone County Court House.
Prosecutors say Cheatum shot 25-year-old Anthony Unger in a Columbia parking lot in June 2013 during a drug deal. Two other suspects in the death testified against Cheatum during his trial. Defense attorneys claimed the two witnesses lied.
The Jefferson City News-Tribune reports Cheatum's relatives screamed and shouted profanities at police after the verdict was announced. No one was arrested.
Cheatum faces at least three years in prison for armed criminal action and up to life in prison for murder and armed criminal action.
The shooting was one of the incidents that set off a spate of conversations about public safety in Columbia, eventually leading to the formation of the Mayor's Taskforce on Community Violence.
