A murder charge has been filed against an inmate at an area jail.
According to a report from an investigator with the Missouri Department of Corrections, there was an offender death in Housing Unit 5 of the Boonville Correctional Center on December 15, 2019. Richard Weyer appeared to have died from an overdose of some sort of opiate.
By viewing video surveillance, the investigator alleges Dontae Bell was seen handing Weyer an unknown item at 11:18 p.m. on December 14. Weyer snorted the unknown item into his nose and started to get the effect from the unknown substance. A short time later, Weyer laid down on his bunk, his movements became slower, and then he became unresponsive. At 12:01 a.m. on December 15, staff started CPR on Weyer.
The autopsy revealed Weyer died of Fentanyl toxicity.
Bell has been charged with Class A Felony for Murder in the Second Degree.
Bell’s initial hearing is pending at Cooper County Circuit Court.