A Keytesville woman entered a plea of not guilty in Chariton County on June 13th to charges related to a shooting in Keytesville in January in which law enforcement reported one person died.
Fifty-two-year-old Sherri Laws waived formal arraignment on an amended complaint and waived a preliminary hearing. She was bound over to Division One of Chariton County Circuit Court, and arraignment is scheduled for July 6th.
Laws has been charged with the felonies of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, delivery of a controlled substance, and two counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.
Another person charged in relation to the alleged shooting, 50-year-old James Johnson of Keytesville, faces felonies of second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, delivery of a controlled substance, and two counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution. He is next to appear in court on July 11th.
The Highway Patrol previously reported the charges came after 38-year-old Jacob Abney of Grandview suffered gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident. Johnson also received gunshot wounds, was taken to the Moberly Regional Medical Center, and was flown to the University Hospital of Columbia.
An investigation started after Chariton County deputies were dispatched to a Keytesville residence in reference to an altercation.
