TUSCUMBIA, Mo. (AP) _ Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against a man
charged with a man’s brutal killing at a southwest Missouri campground.
Miller County Prosecutor Ben Winfrey has filed a court notice of intent to seek
the death penalty against 39-year-old John Joe Powell. He is accused of beating
Mark Johnson of Colorado at the Iguana Campground in Miller County in September
2017.
The Lake Sun Leader reports investigators believe Powell hit Johnson with
a tire iron, stabbed him and dragged him behind a jeep.
Police found Johnson unconscious and tied to the rear of a Jeep. He died about
a week after the confrontation.
According to the probable cause statement, Powell and Johnson originally argued
over their military service. Powell also became angry after Johnson reportedly
threatened his wife.
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