Christopher Kuder had a pacemaker, a defibrillator and relied on a cane to walk.
Despite his health issues and limitations, when Kuder saw Mickal Johnson standing in the street in a heated argument with Kuder’s girlfriend, Kuder walked over to where they were fighting and put himself between Johnson and Kuder’s girlfriend.
Witnesses to the 2021 shooting would later tell police Kuder didn’t say anything to Johnson or make any moves that might appear threatening.
Still, Johnson immediately shot Kuder in the chest and through the heart with a 9mm pistol and then ran away. A neighbor called 911 and attempted CPR on 41-year-old Kuder, who was pronounced dead at a Springfield hospital.
The shooting happened in the roadway of the 1400 block of East Atlantic Street in Springfield's Robberson neighborhood, west of Glenstone Avenue and just north of some train tracks. The shooting happened in front of the house where Kuder and several others lived, around 2 a.m. on June 9, 2021.
Nearly three years later, Kuder’s family got some justice.
Greene County Circuit Judge Kaiti Greenwade sentenced Johnson to 22 years in prison on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
Johnson, now 25, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm charges. As part of the plea agreement, Greene County prosecutors dropped a charge of armed criminal action.
Greene County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Bergeon asked Johnson be sentenced to 22 years in a Missouri Department of Corrections’ prison. Johnson’s public defender James Robert Hayes asked for 15 years.
Second-degree murder is a class A felony that carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison under Missouri law. Unlawful possession of a firearm is a class D felony punishable with up to seven years in prison, but both parties agreed the sentence for this charge should run concurrent to the murder sentence.
Judge Greenwade explained why she granted the prosecutor’s request. She called the fatal shooting a “tragedy” and reminded Johnson he was on probation that night and was court-ordered to be in a sober living program.
The judge said she was concerned about Johnson’s behavior since he’s been in jail, including two fights — one that resulted in an assault charge. She pointed to Johnson’s initial refusal to cooperate with a court-ordered sentencing assessment interview. These are choices Johnson made “while knowing this is pending, while knowing what is at stake for you,” the judge said.
Greenwade then spoke about Johnson’s decisions on June 9, 2021.
“You made a choice to point a gun, pull the trigger and end a life,” Greenwade said.
Victim’s girlfriend: ‘That man gave his life for me’
At the sentencing hearing, Bergeon played police body camera footage from the scene of the shooting, from when officers found Johnson about 15 minutes after the shooting and from the police interrogation.
In the interrogation video, Johnson eventually admitted to shooting Kuder, but claimed he felt threatened. Johnson told the officer that Kuder “ran up on me as if he was going to stab me with a knife.”
When asked if he actually saw a knife, Johnson answered, “you could tell he had something on him.”
“I felt threatened,” Johnson said in the video. “I did shoot him for my protection.”
Bergeon called Johnson’s claims to be afraid a “preposterous story.”
Bergeon also spoke about Johnson’s criminal history, which includes a 2017 assault charge and another four arrests for violent crimes that didn’t result in charges. Johnson pleaded guilty in 2019 to the class B felony of burglary. He was given probation for that burglary conviction, Bergeon said, and was ordered to stay at a sober living house.
At the time of the shooting, Johnson had been kicked out of two sober living homes, was using drugs and had a gun.
Bergeon told the court that in the moments leading up to the shooting, Johnson argued with Ana Cota, who was in a relationship with Christopher Kuder. At some point, Johnson told Cota he “wanted to take a life” and “would shoot a b—h.”
The argument became loud and drew the attention of neighbors, including Kuder, who attempted to intervene by stepping between the two.
Cota was among those who gave victim impact statements at Johnson's sentencing hearing May 30.
“That man gave his life for me,” Cota said. “He was a wonderful man. He was a hero.”
An emotional Cota told Greenwade that she feels guilty because she doesn’t believe saving her life was worth losing Kuder’s. But because of his death, Cota said she’s worked to get sober and is now close with her grandchildren.
Kuder’s uncle, Michael Rogers, also spoke at the hearing, describing Kuder as a “good kid” with a “strong heart.”
“This man has devastated our whole family,” Rogers said of Johnson. “My sister has anguished over this for three years.
“We hold no ill will,” Rogers added. “I just pray he gets right with God.”
Burgeon, the prosecutor, spoke about Kuder's family having to suffer through three years of court hearings, continuances and delays.
“(Johnson) hoped the state's case would eventually fall apart,” Burgeon said, adding the reason that didn't happen was because Kuder “was beloved.”
“It's not some coincidence he died protecting someone else,” Burgeon said. “That is who he was.”
Defense attorney: ‘This was a trap house’
Hayes, Johnson’s attorney, agreed Kuder’s death was a tragedy, but said the shooting was “all tied up in drug addiction.”
Hayes said Kuder’s house was inhabited by several people, all of whom were addicted to drugs.
According to Hayes, it’s not Johnson’s fault the court case dragged on for three years. Hayes said Johnson had multiple public defenders who moved on to other jobs.
Hayes reminded the judge that Johnson was only 22 at the time of the shooting and then spoke about adolescent brain development and impulse control in persons before they reach the age of 26.
“We are not asking the court for a slap on the wrist or probation,” Hayes said.
The defense attorney read a letter written by Johnson. In the letter, Johnson apologized to “the court, my family and most importantly to Chris’ family.
“Please know I am making no excuses,” Johnson wrote. “I did the unthinkable.”
Charged with assaulting another inmate
Johnson is also charged with third-degree assault for an incident that happened on Oct. 1, 2021, in the Greene County Jail.
According to a probable cause statement from Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson can be seen in jail security footage striking another inmate in the head and face three times during an evening meal. The other inmate fell to the floor and Johnson returned to his jail cell.
