July 29, 2019
Six Ripley County residents have first appearance in connection to homicide
DONIPHAN — Six Ripley County residents made their first appearance in court Monday morning after recently being charged in connection with the death of another man whose burned body recently was found.
Updated at 6:45 p.m.
DONIPHAN — Six Ripley County residents made their first appearance in court Monday morning after recently being charged in connection with the death of another man whose burned body recently was found.
Schylar Alexis Tubbs of Fairdealing; Jerad Lynn Lloyd, David B. Scrivner Jr., Dawn Alexis Lloyd and Cody Allen Payne, all of Doniphan, appeared before Associate Circuit Judge Thomas David Swindle.
Each is charged with the Class A felonies of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, the unclassified felony of armed criminal action, the Class D felony of second-degree arson and the Class E felony of tampering with physical evidence in connection to the July 21 death of Daniel L. Richardson, 44, of Ripley County.
Richardson’s body, according to Ripley County Coroner Mike Jackson, was found in a residence off of Highway 21, about 10 miles north of Doniphan.
The home reportedly had burned with Richardson inside.
An autopsy was performed Sunday afternoon by Dr. Russell Deidiker at Farmington.
Richardson’s “cause of death is due to homicide by undetermined method,” said Jackson, who indicated samples were taken by toxicology analysis, and those results will be included in Deidiker’s final autopsy report.
The suspects are accused of killing Richardson while assaulting him in retaliation for Richardson’s alleged earlier assault of his girlfriend/Jerad Lloyd’s sister.
During their court appearances, Tubbs, the Lloyds, Scrivner and Payne were formally arraigned and ordered to appear again on Sept. 4 before Swindle for an announcement in their cases.
Also appearing before Swindle was Derek Bunyard of Doniphan. He is charged with the Class E felony of tampering with physical evidence.
Scrivner, according to Ripley County Deputy Chad Keathley’s probable-cause affidavit, borrowed Bunyard’s 2013 Ford Edge, which allegedly was used during the time Richardson was assaulted and killed.
Upon the vehicle’s return, Bunyard allegedly cleaned his car to destroy any evidence.
During his court appearance, Bunyard waived formal arraignment and was ordered to appear on Aug. 14 for an announcement in his case.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Ripley County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol.
On Friday, patrol investigators interviewed a confidential source who indicated they had been told Richardson had been murdered, according to Trooper Shannon Sitton’s probable-cause affidavit.
“The source stated he/she was told by another person Richardson was killed, his body placed in a barrel and burned,” Sitton wrote.
During the same interview, Sitton said, the confidential source identified a Doniphan man, who “was told the same information from a female” identified as Tubbs.
Sitton said he was told Tubbs “was an eyewitness to the homicide of Daniel Richardson.”
The next day, Sitton said, he spoke with the Doniphan man, who reported “Schylar Tubbs told him she was asked to ‘lure’ Daniel Richardson into a vehicle. Richardson was assaulted as he was driven to a residence” in rural Doniphan.
“(He) further stated Schylar Tubbs told him Richardson was placed in a barrel” and his body transported to an abandoned residence off of Highway 21 North, Sitton said. “Richardson’s body was left inside an abandoned residence, and the residence was set on fire.”
Sitton said the K Highway Fire Department responded to a fire at about 2:40 a.m. July 22 and put it out.
On Saturday, Sitton said, he was able to “identify an object as that of a human corpse, laying in the burnt debris of the abandoned residence.
“Following the execution of a search warrant, investigators confirmed burnt human remains and a small burnt propane torch in the debris.”
Sitton said Scrivner was interviewed Saturday and reported Richardson died “as a result of being assaulted by Cody Payne and Jerad Lloyd.
“(He) further stated Richardson’s body was placed in a cardboard barrel and placed on the front porch of Scrivner’s residence …”
During interviews with witnesses and suspects, Sitton said, investigators learned Payne, Scrivner, Tubbs and the Lloyds had “traveled to the Poplar Bluff area just after midnight July 21 …
“The purpose of the trip was to locate David Richardson and assault him as retaliation for Richardson’s assault of (Jerad Lloyd’s sister).”
Sitton said investigators were told the individuals found Richardson, on foot, at a Poplar Bluff gas station.
“Schylar Tubbs ‘lured’ Richardson into their vehicle,” which was being driven by Scrivner, Sitton said. Tubbs reportedly was the front-seat passenger.
Richardson, Sitton said, was in the back seat with the Lloyds and Payne, who “began assaulting Richardson by punching and slapping him as they drove away from Poplar Bluff and into Ripley County.”
Payne, according to Sitton, reported he held Richardson in a what was described as a headlock while the others assaulted him.
While en route to Scrivner’s residence, Sitton said, Scrivner stopped the vehicle and got in the back seat while Dawn Lloyd took over driving.
“Scrivner began striking Richardson in the head with a flashlight,” Sitton said. “Richardson’s hands were then tied behind his back with a piece of rope.”
Upon arriving at Scrivner’s home, Sitton said, everyone exited the vehicle, leaving Richardson tied up inside.
“Cody Payne stated they used methamphetamine and ‘set up a chair’ in the residence in which they intended to put Richardson into and continue assaulting him,” Sitton said. “Approximately one hour later, Scrivner, Payne and J. Lloyd returned to the vehicle and found Richardson ‘not moving.’”
The three, Sitton said, removed Richardson from the vehicle and put him in a cardboard barrel, secured the lid and put it on the front porch before leaving.
The following evening, Sitton said, Payne and Jerad Lloyd returned to Scrivner’s residence, and they, along with Scrivner, “loaded the barrel into the bed of a Ford Ranger truck owned by Scrivner.”
The barrel was then taken to the abandoned house, where it was unloaded into the house and used tires layered on top of it, Sitton said.
“Scrivner lighted a propane torch and laid it next to the barrel, igniting the barrel and tires, and ultimately causing the home to burn,” Sitton said.
All three then fled the scene and returned to Scrivner’s home, where “Scrivner discovered blood in the bed of the truck,” Sitton said.
Payne allegedly drove the truck to location on another county road off of Highway 21 North and set it on fire to “prevent the detection of blood evidence.”
On Saturday, Keathley said, Bunyard’s vehicle was stopped on Highway 160 by a patrol trooper, and he subsequently was interviewed at the sheriff’s department.
Bunyard, Keathley said, reported on the night of July 20, Scrivner borrowed his car and later returned with two other males and two females, including Tubbs, who he knew.
“Bunyard stated when they came in, he heard Scrivner state they took care of someone,” Keathley said. “Bunyard stated he thought they beat someone up.
“(He) stated he heard Scrivner speak about taking care of the person who hurt (Jerad Lloyd’s sister)” before he borrowed the car.
Bunyard, Keathley said, further reported seeing the men changing their clothes and putting them in a bag.
Keathley said Bunyard subsequently removed the seats and console from his car and cleaned them.
“(He) stated he knew there had been an assault in the vehicle so he wanted to clean the evidence,” Keathley said.
Bunyard is being held on $50,000 cash or surety bond, while the other five suspects are being held without bond.
Tubbs is being house in the Butler County jail, while the others are being held in the Wayne County Jail.
Advertisement
Advertisement