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    Edward J. Skiles, 54, Desloge, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of a Bourbon man Saturday morning

Man Fatally Shot In Attempted Robbery Identified; One Charged With Murder

Jesse Moritz, 34, Bourbon was shot by a homeowner during an attempted robbery
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Update:

Two people have been charged in connection to a shooting death Saturday in the 1000 block of Possum Hollow that stemmed from an attempted burglary.

Edward L. Skiles, 54, Desloge, has been charged with second-degree murder. Doris A. Jones, 55, Arnold, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. 

Skiles is being held on a $340,000 bond.

Jesse A. Moritz, 34, Bourbon, suffered a fatal gunshot wound. 

According to Crawford County Sheriff Darin Layman, detectives determined that around 4 a.m., Skiles, Moritz and Jones arrived at the residence. Moritz got out of the vehicle with his face covered and a baseball bat in hand. Skiles and Jones remained in the vehicle and could hear glass breaking and what they believed to be a gunshot. Moritz returned to the vehicle and said he had been shot. They fled the area.

Earlier:

Crawford County Sheriff Darin Layman said a man found dead in a vehicle Saturday morning at Sullivan Mobil was the suspect in a burglary in the 1000 block of Possum Hollow Road 45 minutes earlier and was shot by the homeowner.

The subject has not been identified. Two other occupants of the vehicle are in custody, but charges have not been issued at this time.

According to Layman, deputies responded to the home around 4 a.m. The homeowner said someone had tried to force entry into his residence. Fearing for his life, he fired a weapon at the subject. The subject fled the residence in an unknown vehicle.

Deputies obtained subsequent information to corroborate the homeowner's account of the events and the identity of the burglar. Evidence indicated there may have been multiple on scene during the attempt.

Around 4:45 a.m., deputies were dispatched to Sullivan Mobil for a report of a victim who had suffered a gunshot wound. Sullivan police and Missouri Baptist Ambulance personnel arrived on scene. Life-saving measures were attempted, but the subject was pronounced dead.

Detectives positively identified the deceased subject as well as two other occupants. 

Read more on this story in the July 5 issue of the Independent News, on stands Monday.

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