A Columbia man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to second degree murder for the 2023 shooting death of his ex-girlfriend on Typhoon Court.
28-year-old John Williamson III of Columbia pleaded guilty before Judge Stephanie Morrell and will receive credit for time served. Boone County prosecutors originally charged Williamson with first degree murder and two other felonies for the December 2023 shooting death of 27-year-old Azairah Brownlee, who was shot in the neck. Boone County prosecutor Roger Johnson amended the charge to second degree murder and Williamson pleaded guilty Tuesday. He’ll have to serve at least 85 percent of the 27-year sentence before he’s eligible for parole.
Court documents from 2023 say the incident started with Williamson banging on the driver’s window of the victim’s car and then getting into the truck’s bed. The Columbia Police Department’s probable cause statement says Williamson and his ex-girlfriend then began fighting and that Brownlee was shot once.
