Man charged with murder in Jefferson City bar shooting asks judge to reject death penalty

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of two people at a Jefferson City bar is asking a judge to halt the state’s attempt to seek the death penalty.

Damien Davis, of Kansas City, Missouri, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of illegal possession of a weapon in the 26-year-old shooting. -old Skylar Smock and 43-year-old Corey Thames on November 26, 2022 at J. Pfenny’s Sports Grill and Pub.

Davis is being held in the Cole County Jail without bond.

Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in September.

On Monday, Davis’ attorney Thomas Jacquinot filed a motion to vacate the death penalty, claiming there are too many ways a suspect can qualify for the death penalty and that the state has eliminated a step in determining who qualifies comes for the death penalty. .

The motion also argues that Davis should not have been charged with first-degree murder because he claimed he entered the bar unarmed, was attacked by Thames, took Thames’ gun and accidentally shot a bar employee before shooting and killing Thames .

According to previous reporting, Smock was trying to break up a fight and remove Thames from the business when Davis started shooting, investigators said.

Police say Davis admitted to shooting at Thames, but say he unintentionally shot Smock. Previous reports indicate that Davis had said: “I was saving my life” during his arraignment in November 2022.

Court documents allege that Davis’ statement to police that night did not match the evidence at the scene, including the location of shell casings or the video evidence captured by the bar’s cameras.