Court documents: Columbia murder suspect urged witness “not to tell on him”

By Zimmer Communications
brownlee
brownlee
The Boone County Circuit Court describes 28-year-old Larry Brownlee Jr. of Columbia as “a flight risk and danger to the community” (September 2023 mug shot courtesy of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department website)

A Columbia man charged with shooting and killing a three-year-old child Sunday afternoon remains jailed without bond this (Wednesday) morning.

A Boone County circuit judge describes 28-year-old Larry Brownlee Jr. as a flight risk and a danger to the community. Boone County prosecutors have charged Brownlee with second degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

939 the Eagle News has obtained the Columbia Police Department’s heavily-redacted two-page probable cause statement against Brownlee, which indicates the child’s mother told CPD detectives conflicting stories about what happened on Sunday. She’s quoted as originally telling police that the child was shot as they were returning from grocery shopping, but later told police she was in the kitchen when she heard a “pop” in the bedroom and saw the child shot in the stomach.

The mother is quoted by CPD investigators as saying Brownlee asked her multiple times “not to tell on him.”

Boone County Circuit Judge Jeff Harris has denied bond for the suspect, describing him as a danger to the community. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson has filed a two-page motion for no bond, saying Brownlee shot the child in the stomach. Prosecutor Johnson’s motion also notes Brownlee has several previous convictions, including for assault and domestic assault.