Boone County prosecutor responds to UM System president's concerns over public safety

All of Choi's emails, obtained by KOMU 8 News, were addressed to City Manager De'Carlon Seewood, Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and First Ward councilperson Valerie Carroll, whose ward includes downtown. Another was also addressed to the entire City Council, Police Chief Jill Schlude and Johnson.

On many of these emails, Choi also copied Boone County officials, Chamber of Commerce members, University of Missouri staff and Department of Justice personnel including an assistant U.S. attorney and the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

In a Thursday afternoon email from Johnson obtained by KOMU 8 News, Johnson responded to Choi's concerns over prosecution and sentencing, describing background context and the reasoning for each case's outcome.

At the end of the email, Johnson emphasized that the Prosecuting Attorney's Office has worked to "reverse a trend of softer dispositions in Boone County under the former administration."

"I'm well aware that case results send a message, and for years the message here was that Boone County was a place to go to commit crimes," Johnson wrote in the email. "It's disappointing that, despite the office's overall record and progress in reversing that trend, it's a small number of cases that draw attention."

2024 shooting death of Orrion Moody

Two men involved in a 2024 fatal shooting in Columbia were put on probation following their guilty pleas to charges connected to the shooting of Orrion Moody.

Johnson wrote that the Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the defense could not reach an agreement on the men's punishment and explained that the judge decided on a compromise.

Johnson wrote that prosecutors argued for an 18-year sentence for the men in the Missouri Department of Corrections, but the judge placed them on probation, suspending the imposition of a sentence.

Johnson wrote that because the case involved a self-defense argument, it was challenging to prosecute.

"This presented an unusually difficult self-defense case under current Missouri law. The defense theory was strong: the resident had explicitly threatened to shoot whoever showed up, and when the defendants arrived, they saw him emerge from the house armed," Johnson wrote in the email to Choi. "Missouri law used required doing everything consistent with your own safety to avoid taking a life. But under Missouri's current self-defense and stand-your-ground framework, the fact that the defendants arrived armed and looking for confrontation does not defeat a self-defense claim, and the State bears the burden of disproving self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. In effect, the facts placed both sides in a position where a claim of self-defense was legally viable — a problem inherent in the current statute, not a weakness in our investigation or charging decision."

Man accused of pointing AR-15 at women and children

Choi's email also referenced an article about a 19-year-old Columbia man who was accused of pointing an AR-15 at multiple people near their residence in late 2025. He pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon on June 18 and was placed on probation, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.

Johnson wrote that it can be difficult to win a case involving unlawful weapon use before a jury when no shooting or injury occurred, as some prospective jurors are reluctant to impose prison sentences and may view displaying a firearm as protected by the Second Amendment. 

"Because of that, jury sentencing nearly always results in a shorter sentence than we would anticipate from a judge," Johnson wrote. "It is simply not realistic to believe that anyone could have successfully prosecuted a case like this and obtained a prison sentence."

Johnson added that due to the man's lack of criminal history, there was a high likelihood that he would have received a suspended imposition of a sentence with probation if he chose to enter an open plea, which is a plea without an agreement. That outcome would not have limited his right to own or possess guns, Johnson said.

Johnson wrote that he stands by the recommendation.

Shooting on Moss Street that left a man injured

A man was sentenced to probation after a May 2025 shooting in the 900 block of Moss Street, to which he pleaded guilty, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.

The defendant shot a trespasser twice, once in the foot and again in the leg. Some witnesses allege that the trespassing man was in the defendant's backyard looking into apartment windows, and the man alleged he was cutting through the yard.

Road rage incident on Interstate 70

A Columbia woman was placed on probation after pleading guilty to a road rage incident that involved a firearm on Interstate 70 on Nov. 30, 2025, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting. 

A man alleged that a woman cut him off on I-70, then he passed her and honked, and the woman responded by passing him and pointing a firearm at his vehicle.

Johnson wrote that prosecutors recommended a suspended imposition of sentence due to the defendant's lack of a criminal record and the outcomes of similar cases.

Shooting on Ninth Street that left a woman injured

Two people were charged in connection with a shooting on South Ninth Street where a woman was injured in May 2024. 

Johnson wrote that the plea offer included an agreement in which defendant Kalvin Johnson would provide information on a case and possibly testify as a witness, and that the defendant pleaded guilty to a 15-year sentence for first-degree assault. 

Johnson wrote that he could not comment further on the case because there were related cases still pending.