One of two suspects in a shooting incident that left 42-year-old Maurice Harper Sr., of Sedalia, dead on April 15, 2018, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and has been sentenced to spend over a decade in state prison.
According to court documents, Antonio Harper, of Maywood, Illinois, who was 30 at the time, originally was charged with Class A Felonies for Assault in the First Degree or Attempt- Serious Physical Injury or Special Victim and First-Degree Robbery; as well as Felonies for Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Armed Criminal Action.
During a court proceeding on Tuesday, June25, 32-year-old Antonio Harper, pleaded guilty to a Class B Felony for Burglary in the First Degree. He was sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
The other suspect, Eric Harper, of Chicago who is now 26, still is facing original charges of a Class A Felony for Assault in the First Degree or Attempt- Serious Physical Injury or Special Victim; a Class E Felony for Unlawful Use of a Weapon- Exhibiting; and an Unclassified Felony for Armed Criminal Action.
Eric Harper’s three-day jury trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 22, 2019.