93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
A Columbia man charged in a high-profile 2017 drug-related killing in the Old Hawthorne subdivision has filed a speedy trial request.
29-year-old Jeffrey McWilliams is charged with second degree murder for the death of Augustus Roberts. Mr. Roberts was killed in a home invasion robbery on Lasso Circle, in Old Hawthorne.
McWilliams has pleaded not guilty, and is set to appear in court Friday afternoon at 1 for a motion hearing. McWilliams’ attorney has filed a motion to try to stop a warrant for his client’s DNA. Boone County prosecutors want Boone County Judge Joshua Calvin Devine to compel McWilliams to provide a DNA swab.
McWilliams is a well-known Columbia chef who was featured on the Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible” show in 2019, while he worked at McLanks. McWilliams also reportedly worked at an ice cream store in east Columbia.
McWilliams’ trial is set to start on April 19, but prosecutors have requested a continuance. Judge Devine will make the final decision on when the trial will begin.
