The man believed to have shot and killed a 32–year-old Springfield woman on Nov. 13 is in jail, charged with second-degree burglary, felony stealing and third-degree domestic assault.
Brandon Lewis Huddleston, 25, was booked into the Greene County Jail early Wednesday morning, Nov. 22.
Lacey Nix was fatally shot at her home in west Springfield on Nov. 13.
At a vigil for Nix on Nov. 20, Nix’s mother, Cheryl Watts, told the Hauxeda that Nix’s boyfriend, Brandon Huddleston, was the person who shot Nix. At that time, Watts expressed frustration that Huddleston had been questioned by police but not arrested.
According to a felony complaint filed by the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, the burglary, stealing and domestic assault charges filed against Huddleston are not related to the shooting death of Nix.
According to court documents, Huddleston is accused of unlawfully entering Spin City, an internet cafe and gaming parlor at 2005 E. Kearney St., for the purpose of stealing. The domestic assault charge stems from an incident that happened on Nov. 11.
The circumstances of Nix's death are still being investigated, Springfield Police Department spokesperson Cris Swaters said, and it’s possible more charges against Huddleston will be filed.
Police believe couple was involved in robbery plot
According to the probable cause statement against Huddleston, Springfield Police officers were dispatched to Nix’s home at 4231 W. La Siesta around 8:16 p.m. Nov. 13, for a report of a shooting. They found Nix with a gunshot wound outside the house. Medics attempted to save Nix's life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to that statement, Huddleston told officers he shot Nix, but that Nix had pointed a handgun at him. Police officers located two guns at the house.
Officers located two cell phones that belonged to Huddleston, and Huddleston provided consent for police to search the phones. On those phones, investigators found a video in which Huddleston and Nix were allegedly recorded discussing robbing Nix’s former employer, Spin City.
According to the probable cause statement, a police officer reviewed Nix’s phone and was able to access a Blink video camera from inside Nix’s home. Blink manufactures doorbell cameras and other home security equipment, and has software that corresponds to a user's devices.
“One video that was saved to (Nix’s) phone was a video of (Nix) yelling at Huddleston, calling him a ‘Punk.’ After this, Huddleston stood up and aggressively stood over (Nix) while (Nix) was on the couch,” the officer wrote in the probable cause statement. “Huddleston yelled at (Nix) and then punched (Nix) in the left eye with a closed fist. (Nix) then held her face and rolled onto the floor.”
The dispute between Nix and Huddleston happened around 2 a.m. on Nov. 11, according to data from the Blink camera, and is what led to Huddleston’s third-degree assault charge.
According to the probable cause statement, Huddleston told police officers that he took approximately $5,000 from Spin City with help from Nix. Huddleston told officers the two were planning to split the money. An officer questioned Huddleston about arguments between Nix and Huddleston about the money that were captured by the Blink video camera.
According to online court records, Huddleston is being held in jail without bond. He does not have a court hearing scheduled or a defense attorney representing him as of 11:45 a.m. Nov. 22.
