A local judge threw out the murder conviction against a man who was found guilty by a jury in connection with the 2014 killing of a Cedar County (MO) Sheriff’s deputy.
At a sentencing hearing on Monday, Greene County Judge Calvin Holden overturned the second-degree murder conviction against Joshua Brown, 30, of El Dorado Springs.
Authorities say Brown was the driver in a chase that ended with his passenger jumping out of the car and killing deputy Matthew Chism in a gunfight in November 2014. The passenger also died.
Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither sent out a news release saying Holden’s decision was “incorrect, ignores the law and the facts, and improperly sets aside the decision of a jury.”
Gaither said he plans to appeal the judge’s decision.
Judge Holden told the courtroom he disagreed with the jury’s decision in May and he believed Brown should never have been charged with murder.
Holden stated that Deputy Chism was not following proper police procedure when he chased the fleeing passenger since the pursuit began as a traffic stop.
