A 62-year-old Bernie man was found shot dead inside an apartment Sunday afternoon and Dexter police have charged Anthony Thomas Jenkins Sr. for the murder.
Timmy D. Carwile was found deceased inside 314 Alice St. shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21.
This is the first homicide Dexter police have reported since January 2020.
Two children – a nine-day-old infant and an 18-month-old toddler – were in the apartment when the shooting occurred, according to a probable cause complaint on file at the Stoddard County Courthouse.
Jenkins is being held without bond in Stoddard County jail on a charge of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence. He claimed the shooting was done in self-defense, according to the probable cause.
Stoddard County Sheriff’s Detective Garry Brady II reported in the complaint that a 911 call was placed by Loniquitta Tremble who stated that her stepfather, Carwile, was shot by the father of her child.
Jenkins gave a statement to investigators that he and Carwile had “cussed each other on the phone Saturday ... and both agreed to fight” several times over the weekend. The two were arguing because Carwile claimed Jenkins threatened his girlfriend Sarah Yang, according to the complaint.
Jenkins told investigators that on Sunday, he “got his Glock .22 from the bedroom” and went outside waiting for Carwile. The two continued bickering by phone until Carwile eventually showed up and started banging on the door.
Jenkins “stated he went into the bedroom, retrieved the Glock .22, and chambered a round.” He opened the front door and Carwile pushed him inside, according to the complaint. The two began physically fighting and Jenkins pulled the gun out of his front pocket, court documents report.
“He stated he fired the first shot, into Tim’s chest area, when Tim grabbed him again. Anthony stated he fired three or four more rounds into Tim’s chest area,’’ court documents continue.
Carwile fell back into a recliner, according to the report.
Jenkins claimed he shot Carwile in self-defense and showed detectives a scratch on his chest. Investigators told him the scratches were not consistent with his story and Jenkins then admitted that “he scratched himself” after shooting Carwile “because he was scared.’’
An autopsy on Carwile has been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, according to Dexter Police Detective Capt. Hank Trout.
“We won’t have any details on how many times he was shot or anything until that’s done,’’ he said.
Carwile was still breathing after being shot multiple times but neither Anthony nor Tremble attempted CPR on him, according to the complaint.
Jenkins is being held in Stoddard County jail without bond.