STEELVILLE, Mo. — A Cape Girardeau man preempted his upcoming murder trial by pleading guilty Monday to a lesser charge in connection with the 2015 shooting death of a man found laying next to his overturned all-terrain vehicle.
Having earlier been granted a change of venue from Wayne County, Michael D. Burkman pleaded guilty to the Class A felony of second-degree murder before Circuit Judge Kelly Parker in Crawford County, according to Casenet.
The 51-year-old entered his plea after the state filed an amended information Friday afternoon, charging him with the lesser murder charge and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action (ACA).
The amended information, filed by Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Szczucinski, accused Burkman of knowingly causing the death of John Fowler by shooting him on Feb. 1, 2015.
A St. Peters, Mo., resident, Fowler had been staying at the Heaven’s Hope Campground in the Hiram area. He was found dead on a county road near the private campground.
In February 2015, Burkman had been staying in the Lowndes area and reportedly was involved in an ongoing altercation with Fowler. Burkman allegedly threatened to kill Fowler and later told three separate people he had killed him.
After accepting Burkman’s plea, Parker sentenced him to life in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
The punishment range for a Class A felony is 10 to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections or life, which is computed at 30.
With his plea, the state reportedly dismissed the ACA charge.
Burkman originally was charged with the Class A felony of first-degree murder and unclassified felony of ACA in connection with Fowler’s death.
He was supposed to stand trial July 8-12 on the charges.
Burkman is the last of three to be convicted in connection to Fowler’s death.
In September 2017, Steven E. Jennewein of Greenville pleaded guilty to the Class C felony of involuntary manslaughter. The now 38-year-old was sentenced to seven years in prison.
“Mr. Jennewein had the least involvement in the homicide,” the then Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Jackson said at the time of Jennewein’s plea.
“He was asked to make a phone call to get the victim to a certain place at a certain time,” Jackson said. “The victim was then shot from ambush by someone else.”
After Jennewein, according to earlier reports, contacted Fowler by phone to make arrangements for a narcotics transaction, the man allegedly was shot multiple times allegedly by Burkman.
Brandon Norman, 29, of Lowndes pleaded guilty in June 2016 to the Class A felony of second-degree murder.
At the time of his plea, Norman was not sentenced as he was “cooperating” with authorities.
Norman’s sentencing is set for May 28 in Wayne County before Parker.
At sentencing, Norman faces a punishment range of a minimum of 10 years in prison to a maximum of 30 or life, which is calculated at 30 years.
Norman allegedly provided Burkman with transportation the day of the suspected murder by dropping him off in a wooded area near the paved highway and returning later to pick Burkman up.