A Boone County jury deliberated for a few hours on Thursday evening before convicting a Columbia man of second degree murder, for the death of a woman from a Highway 63 overpass near the Clark lane Bob Evans.
33-year-old Jessie Williams was charged with first degree murder in the case. The jury convicted him of second degree murder, which means he’ll be eligible for parole after serving at least 85 percent of his sentence. A July sentencing date has been set. Boone County assistant prosecutor Susan Boresi told the jury that Williams threw 24-year-old Kaylen Ann Schmit 38 feet to her death from the Highway 63 overpass in October 2022.
ABC-17’s Morgan Buresh from our news partner KMIZ reports criminal pathologist Dr. Keith Nolan took the witness stand on Thursday. Dr. Nolan, who works for the Boone County Medical Examiner’s office, testified the Kaylen Ann Schmit died from blunt force trauma. Morgan reports that while Dr. Nolan did not witness the incident, be believes the death to be a homicide.
Under cross-examination, Dr. Nolan testifies that Schmit had made at least one previous suicide attempt. Prosecutor Boresi told the jury that the victim’s liver was split open from her 38-foot fall and that Schmit also suffered fractured ribs.