A former Columbia restaurant owner who was once featured on the “Food Network” will go on trial for murder in November.
939 the Eagle News was at the Boone County Courthouse for Monday morning’s pretrial conference for 32-year-old Jeffrey McWilliams, the former owner of McLank’s on Paris road. He is charged with second degree murder, first degree robbery and armed criminal action for the December 2017 drug-related shooting death of Augustus Roberts in the Old Hawthorne subdivision. It allegedly involved Roberts’ murder and the robbery or attempted robbery of a U-haul that had a large amount of marijuana in it.
McWilliams is being represented by prominent St. Louis defense attorney Scott Rosenblum. Boone County Circuit Judge Joshua Calvin Devine has approved a defense request to allow McWilliams to travel to Clayton to meet with Counselor Rosenblum to prepare for trial. Special prosecutor Nick Komoroski did not object to the request. That means McWilliams can travel from Columbia to Clayton any weekday from now until October 14 to meet with Rosenblum for trial preparation, under Judge Devine’s order.
The judge has scheduled a four-day jury trial that will start on November 19 at the Boone County Courthouse.
