A Springfield man pleaded guilty Monday morning for his role in the May 3 killing of Jimmie E. Johnson III.
According to online court records, Payne R. Morse, 22, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm (a class D felony under Missouri law) and tampering with physical evidence (class E felony). Morse will be sentenced at a court hearing in April.
On May 3, 2023, at 1:54 a.m., Springfield police officers responded to a report of someone who had been shot behind a residence at 2304 N. National Ave. When officers arrived, they located a man with a gunshot wound lying in the backyard.
The victim, 42-year-old Jimmie E. Johnson III, from Springfield, was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Another suspect in Johnson's death, Ronald Curnow, is charged with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and armed criminal action.
According to court documents, Morse told investigators he gave Curnow a ride to an area near where they believed Johnson would be. Morse told police he dropped off Curnow about a block away from where the shooting occurred. Morse said he heard the gunshots and Curnow ran back to Morse's vehicle. Morse told police he gave Curnow a ride back to Curnow's home in Marshfield.
Morse told investigators that after he read a news story about Johnson's death, he hid the gun used in the shooting.
Curnow has a pretrial hearing later this week.
