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UPDATE: Convicted Columbia killer asking for new trial

Convicted murderer Bobby Dawson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15 in Boone County Circuit Court (file photo courtesy of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department website)

An attorney for a convicted Columbia murderer has filed a motion for a new trial.

Online court records show Ashland-based special public defender Matthew Uhrig has filed a seven-page motion in Boone County Circuit Court, saying the government “has failed to prove each essential element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt” involving his client, Bobby Dawson. Counselor Uhrig alleges that his client was deprived of due process. A Boone County jury convicted the 42-year-old Dawson of first degree murder and armed criminal action in August, for the 2020 shooting death of 36-year-old Rod Jones on Quail drive.

Boone County Circuit Judge Joshua Calvin Devine has scheduled a September 15 sentencing date for Dawson. Judge Devine is expected to rule on the motion for a new trial at that time. Boone County prosecutor Roger Johnson praises the verdict, saying we will continue to build a strong community that is resilient against violence.