By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH
Staff Writer
KENNETT, Mo. -- A Malden, Mo., man was sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison Thursday in connection to the 2015 shooting death of another man.
Accompanied by his attorney, Charles Moreland with the Capital Public Defender's Office, Floyd Mantel Young Jr., 25, appeared before Presiding Circuit Judge Robert Mayer for sentencing after having pleaded guilty in February to the Class B felony of voluntary manslaughter and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action (ACA), according to Casenet.
Mayer reportedly sentenced Young to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on each charge and ordered the sentences to be served consecutively.
Fifteen years in prison is the maximum sentence on a Class B felony. The ACA has a mandatory minimum punishment of three years in prison.
Young pleaded guilty to knowingly causing the death of Dustin Greer of Bloomfield, Mo., by shooting him on July 18, 2015.
The 28-year-old died July 21, 2015, at a Cape Girardeau, Mo., hospital after he was taken off life support.
Greer died of injuries he suffered when he was shot in the head while seated in his SUV.
The charges against Young stemmed from when Malden police officers began an assault investigation at about 3:20 a.m. July 18, 2015, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Scott Stoelting's probable-cause statement.
"When officers arrived at the rear of 405 N. Edward St., they observed a male, later identified as Dustin Greer, sitting in the driver's seat of a white Chevrolet Tahoe," Stoelting said. "Greer had an obvious gunshot wound to the front, left side of his head."
Stoelting said the officers also noticed what appeared to be a bullet hole in the front, left fender of the SUV.
During the investigation, a witness reported to investigators he saw Young "point the gun inside the vehicle, and as the vehicle accelerated, he heard the gun go off," Stoelting said. "Prior to this shooting incident, the same witness observed Young with a pistol."
During a follow-up interview, Stoelting said, the witness further told officers he was inside the SUV when Greer was shot.
"This witness said Floyd pointed a gun inside and told Greer: 'Give me your ------ ------- money,'" Stoelting said. "This witness said Greer was holding $20 in his right hand and had his left hand on the steering wheel."
Greer, according to the witness' statement, grabbed the gun Young was holding, and "they began struggling over the gun."
"The witness said the gun went off a couple of times and (Greer) then began driving away."
Young originally had faced a first-degree murder charge in connection with Greer's death, and the state had filed its intentions to seek the death penalty against him. Young's charges were reduced at the time of his plea.
Calls to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey McCormick were not returned by press time.