A Columbia man convicted of throwing a woman 38 feet to her death from the Highway 63 overpass near Clark lane’s Bob Evans has been sentenced to life in prison.
939 the Eagle News was at the Boone County Courthouse for Monday’s emotional sentencing hearing. There was tight security inside and outside the courtroom, and several of the Columbia police officers who arrested 33-year-old Jessie Williams in October 2022 were inside the courtroom as spectators.
Boone County Circuit Judge Brouck Jacobs sentenced Williams to the life sentence, saying Williams made the decision to throw 24-year-old Kaylen Ann Schmit off the bridge. Williams was convicted of second degree murder in May.
Williams’ mother, Tabitha Veltrop, took the witness stand during sentencing. Williams, who was shackled and handcuffed and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, listened intently as his mother testified and pleaded for mercy from the judge. Ms. Veltrop says her son was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten and had many issues due to medications. She says her son has schizophrenia, testifying that he asked police to kill him in 2011 and caught himself on fire in 2015. The mother also blasted the mid-Missouri news media for its coverage of Williams’ case.
Boone County assistant prosecutor Susan Boresi told the jury at trial that Ms. Schmit’s liver was split open from her 38-foot fall and that she also suffered fractured ribs. Schmit’s family was in the courtroom during the emotional sentencing hearing.
Prosecutor Boresi requested a life prison sentence, saying Williams cannot live safely in society without supervision. Defense attorney Daniel Hickman requested a 15-year prison sentence. In the end, Judge Jacobs sentenced Williams to a life prison sentence. Under Missouri law, that’s calculated at 30 years for second degree murder. Williams will be eligible for parole after serving at least 85 percent of 30 years.
