A Jefferson City man, Jeremy Alexander, has been charged with second-degree assault after a witness claimed he assaulted a man who later died. The witness stated that Alexander told him he hoped he wasn’t responsible for the victim’s death. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. ABC17NEWS reported
Jefferson City Man Charged with Second-Degree Assault After Witness Comes Forward
A Jefferson City man, Jeremy Alexander, 23, has been charged with second-degree assault following the revelation by a witness that a man who passed away last month was assaulted in June. The witness walked into the Jefferson City Police Department lobby on Thursday, Nov. 2, and informed the police that Alexander had assaulted the victim in front of the Missouri River Regional Library on Adams Street. A warrant was issued for Alexander, and a $10,000 bond was set. At the time of writing, he was not in custody.
The witness, who had been holding onto this information, finally decided to come forward and share it with the police. According to the probable cause statement, the witness stated that Alexander had mentioned to him that he hoped he was not responsible for the victim’s death. The victim had been taken to the hospital on the same day as the alleged assault. Unfortunately, neither the victim nor any other witnesses were named in the statement.
Events unfolded on June 16, when first responders were called to the library at around 1:31 a.m. after finding the victim slumped over and bleeding from his head. The police were unable to determine if an assault had taken place. The victim was initially taken to Capital Region Medical Center before being transferred to University Hospital, where he ultimately passed away on Oct. 29. According to the statement, the victim suffered a stroke three weeks after the alleged assault, which led to a decline in his health. He was eventually placed in the intensive care unit on Oct. 13.
Following the initial report, the police contacted multiple witnesses. One witness claimed that Alexander had confessed to him that he had “bashed the victim’s head on the ground in front of the library.” Two other witnesses attested that Alexander had attacked the victim while he was sleeping on a park bench. One witness even saw the attack occur and noticed the victim bleeding from his nose and eyes afterwards. Notably, a pastor who witnessed injuries on Alexander’s hands during a funeral on June 16 also came forward. In addition, Alexander himself admitted to assaulting the victim at the library, according to the probable cause statement.
As part of the investigation, an autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of death. Medical records indicated injuries on the victim’s face and bleeding around the brain. The victim’s brain is currently being examined to determine if the hemorrhages caused his death, as stated in the probable cause statement.
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