Missouri Ozarks pastor charged with murder shot wife's lover at point-blank range: police

A Baptist pastor successful Missouri's Ozarks was issued a $30,000 enslaved aft spending 2 years successful jailhouse for allegedly shooting his wife's lover. 

Matthew Dedmon, present 49, changeable 57-year-old Joe Newburn aggregate times successful the thorax connected May 28, 2022 aft helium allegedly spotted the different antheral with his woman successful a car extracurricular the Iguana Roja Restaurante successful the Ozark Courthouse Square Historic District, Ozarks First reported. Dedmon had suspected Newburn was having an matter with his wife, the outlet reported.

Newburn died the adjacent time astatine Cox South Hospital, the Ozark Police Department wrote successful a Facebook post.

The Heritage Baptist Church pastor was charged with first-degree murder and equipped transgression action. For 2 years, helium had been kept down bars without bond. 

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An undated mugshot of Heritage Baptist Church Pastor Matthew Dedmon, present 49. (Christian County Jail)

In September 2022, Judge Laura Johnson wrote that letting Dedmon retired connected enslaved would put the nationalist successful "grave danger."

"The grounds is that Defendant possessed a loaded weapon connected the quadrate successful Ozark extracurricular a engaged restaurant, and that weapon was discharged 3 to 4 times, resulting successful the victim’s death. This enactment everyone connected the quadrate successful sedate danger," Johnson wrote successful her decision, obtained by Law & Crime. "There was grounds that this behaviour was retired of quality for Defendant, which causes interest astir Defendant’s decision-making and judgment."

"The seriousness of the complaint increases the hazard that Defendant volition not appear," she continued. "For these reasons, the Court volition detain Defendant without bond."

For 2 years, Dedmon's attorneys and authorities attorneys clashed successful a ineligible combat implicit a "motion to endorse" witnesses and discovery. 

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The astir caller mugshot of Matthew Dedmon. (Christian County Jail)

However, connected Oct. 1, the justice granted Dedmon $30,000 bond, provided that helium deterioration a GPS monitoring instrumentality and stay connected location arrest. 

According to a defence filing seeking his merchandise connected bond, Dedmon's attorneys argued that the state's slowness to endorse witnesses violated their client's rights nether Missouri's constitution. 

"This lawsuit has been pending for good implicit 2 years. Counsel for Defendant has worked diligently during that clip to acceptable this lawsuit for trial. Just arsenic Counsel for Defendant believed that depositions were concluded (as she had deposed each endorsed witnesses) and the substance was yet acceptable to acceptable for trial, the State filed its question to endorse, [redacted]," the filing read.

"The Defendant adamantly opposes this question to endorse. However, the Defendant submits that should the Court assistance the State’s question to endorse, successful full oregon successful part, that the Defendant should beryllium granted merchandise connected enslaved owed to the State’s inexcusable enactment of precocious endorsements, which if allowed, volition origin an inevitable lengthy hold of the Defendant’s trial."

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Matthew Dedmon allegedly changeable Joe Newburn aggregate times aft helium saw him speaking to his woman successful the car adjacent the Iguana Roja Restaurante adjacent the Ozarks Courthouse Square Historic District. (Google Maps)

Christian County Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Tuohy could not beryllium instantly reached for comment. 

As of Wednesday morning, Christian County Jail records did not bespeak that the pastor had been released. His lawyer could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.

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The shooting victim, Newburn, had "always been the feline adjacent doorway that everyone wanted to know," could "build a motorcycle amended than Schwinn" and "build a blistery rod arsenic if helium immoderate time would beryllium successful Nascar," according to his online obituary. He is survived by 2 children and a "host of grandkids."

Dedmon's execution proceedings is scheduled to statesman connected March 3, according to Ozarks First.