A man charged with second-degree murder has entered a pleaded guilty in court.
34-year-old Carlton Williamson entered that plea on February 28 for the shooting death of Raquel Montgomery.
Williamson was also charged with armed criminal action and conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance.
Court document say on February 13 of 2018, a mutual acquaintance of Williamson and Montgomery made contact with Montgomery so Montgomery would be able to buy meth from Williamson.
During that meeting along E. Blaine St in Springfield, Montgomery pulled a gun and Williamson responded by pulling his own gun, firing two rounds and killed Montgomery.
Williamson has prior conviction for robbery in the second degree and resisting arrest.
Williamson faces 12 years in prison for the murder charge, 10 years for the conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance and 3 years for armed criminal action.
You can read the entire press release below:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson announces on February 28, 2020, Carlton R A. Williamson, 34, of Springfield, Missouri entered a guilty plea to murder in the second degree, for the shooting death of Raquel Montgomery.
On February 13, 2018, a mutual acquaintance of both Williamson and Montgomery,
contacted Williamson to set up a meeting with Montgomery so that Montgomery could purchase methamphetamine from Williamson. During the meeting that followed, Montgomery displayed a handgun, and Williamson responded by drawing his own gun and firing two shots, killing Montgomery. This shooting took place in the street in front of at 1459 E. Blaine in a residential area of Springfield. There were children present in 1459 E. Blaine at the time of the shooting.
The felony murder statute allows for a defendant to be convicted of murder if the
defendant commits a felony or attempts to commit a felony, and, in the perpetration of such felony or in the flight from the perpetration of such felony, another person is killed as a result. For purposes of the felony murder statute, it is irrelevant whether the defendant intended to kill the other person, or whether the other person used force against the defendant first. In this case, Montgomery’s death resulted from Williamson shooting her while he was committing the felony of conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance with the mutual acquaintance by meeting at 1459 E. Blaine to sell methamphetamine to Montgomery. This rendered Williamson
guilty of murder in the second degree under the felony murder statute. The felony murder statute recognizes the inherent danger to the community associated with the commission of a felony or the flight from a felony. In this case, by conspiring to complete a drug deal in a residential neighborhood while armed with a handgun, Williamson exposed not only Montgomery, but also any bystanders and occupants of the nearby houses, including the children that were present, to the risk of death or serious injury inherent in the commission of a felony.
On February 28, Williamson entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement to charges murder in the second degree – felony murder, armed criminal action and conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance before the Honorable David Jones. Williamson, who has prior felony convictions for robbery in the second degree and resisting an arrest, was sentenced to 12 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for murder in the second degree, 3 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for armed criminal action, and 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance. Murder in the second degree is a dangerous felony which requires Williamson to serve 85% of the sentence before he is parole eligible.
