Wayne County man convicted in shooting death of landlord

GREENVILLE — A Wayne County jury deliberated nearly six hours Wednesday in convicting a Greenville man of the 2017 shooting death of his landlord.

After hearing from about eight witnesses over a day and a half, the jury found Joshua Lawrence Oldham guilty of the Class A felony of first-degree murder and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action.

The 39-year-old was convicted of causing the death of Marshall Lucas “Luke” Helm on Nov. 4, 2017, by shooting him with a handgun.

An autopsy showed the 38-year-old Silva man had been shot three times ­— once in his left arm, once in his left cheek and once in the right side, which, according to earlier reports, was the fatal wound.

Oldham, court personnel said, was among the first to stand trial in Missouri since the COVID-19 pandemic began in mid-March, and the first to be tried in the 42nd Judicial Circuit.

Wayne County Circuit Clerk Darren Garrison said Oldham, a convicted felon, also pleaded guilty to the Class C felony of unlawful possession of a firearm prior to jury selection beginning Monday morning.

The selection process, Garrison said, was held in the Greenville High School gymnasium.

“I summoned 150 (potential jurors) and through excuses and different things, I had 110 people show up,” Garrison explained. “I was pleased with that. We followed the COVID” guidelines for court proceedings.

The bleachers were marked with six-feet spacing, and face masks and hand sanitizer were available, Garrison said.

“It took us most of the day to get a jury picked — 12 jurors and four alternatives,” Garrison said.

Testimony began on Tuesday morning, with the state wrapping up its case on Wednesday morning after Dr. Russell Deidiker testified regarding the autopsy he performed on Helm.

A total of six witnesses — law enforcement, family and friends of Helm — testified for the state, said Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch.

Those witnesses, he said, testified about the investigation and what they saw at the scene.

The shooting had occurred at the residence of Helm’s parents on Highway E, about 6 1/2 miles east of Business 67.

Relatives, according to earlier reports, told investigators the family was having a barbecue during which Oldham stopped by to pay Helm money he owed.

A physical altercation reportedly ensued between Oldham and Helm, and Oldham subsequently got away and ran to his vehicle.

While inside his 1998 Nissan Altima, Oldham was accused of firing shots through its driver-side window, striking Helm, who fell to the ground.

After allegedly firing the shots, Oldham fled the scene in his car with his son.

Finch said Oldham’s mother and another witness testified for the defense on Wednesday before the case went to the jury at about 2:40 p.m.

“The mother testified to the fact that (Oldham) came to their house and dropped his son off” after the shooting, “then he was supposedly headed to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department to turn himself in,” Finch said.

Oldham was caught in rural Ellsinore, Finch said. In a subsequent interview, Oldham reportedly admitted to shooting Helm.

Once given the case, Finch said, the jury returned with its verdict at about 8 p.m.

Since Oldham was charged as a prior and persistent offender, sentencing was taken out of the jury’s hands and given to Circuit Judge Kelly Parker.

Parker ordered a sentencing assessment report be completed by Probation & Parole and set sentencing for Oct. 27 on all three offenses.

Both Garrison and Finch were pleased at how well Oldham’s trial proceedings went.

“Everything with the COVID situation, from voir dire (jury selection) … at the high school to the trial in the courthouse went very smooth,” Finch said. “We had no problems doing the social distancing. Everyone wore masks. It all went very well.”

Finch said he requested his deputies and troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol provide additional security for the jury selection process and trial.