KFAL The Big 900 Classic Country
A Columbia man with a lengthy criminal history could face the death penalty, after being charged with the horrific killing of a man in Douglass park involving a taser and a folding knife.
The incident happened Monday night at about 8:15. Boone County prosecutors have charged 38-year-old Demetrice Tatum with first degree murder and armed criminal action.
CPD’s redacted two-page probable cause statement quotes Tatum as telling police that he killed 22-year-old Kejuan Allen in self-defense. Tatum is quoted in court documents as saying Allen hit him in the back of the head with a bottle first. Court documents indicate Tatum allegedly used a taser on the victim, before cutting Allen’s throat and stabbing him 20 times.
Court documents say the fight and killing are captured on Douglass park surveillance video. Tatum, who is expected to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon, has previous convictions for resisting arrest, assault third, trespassing and drug possession. The court documents say Tatum laughed when he told Columbia Police about turning his taser on that night.
