A local man has been ordered to stand trial in Missouri in connection with the stabbing death of his uncle.
Terry A. Brown appeared Thursday, Dec. 10, in Butler County Circuit Court in Poplar Bluff for a preliminary hearing in his case.
Brown, 28, of Coldwater, is charged with a Class A felony charge of second-degree murder and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action, according to court records. He is accused of causing the death of his uncle, Virgil Brown II, on May 8, 2020. Reports indicate the 50-year-old died at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center from a stab wound to his chest.
Brown provided a written waiver during his court appearance rejecting his right to a preliminary hearing. He was ordered to appear for arraignment in January.
The charges against Brown stem from an investigation by the Poplar Bluff Police Department.
According to a report from Detective Joey Woodruff, police officers were dispatched to a home in the 1000 block of Grand Avenue in Poplar Bluff on May 7 at approximately 11:40 p.m., after receiving a report of a fight in progress with one person allegedly armed with a knife.
Woodruff said when officers arrived, the elder Brown was found lying on the floor and bleeding from an apparent chest wound. Woodruff said a woman at the scene reported her grandson, Terry Brown, “was responsible for stabbing Virgil Brown II.”
According to the report, Brown’s fiancé said ‘Terry had gotten into a verbal argument and physical altercation’ with his brother.
“(She) stated that once the altercation was over, she tried to get Terry to leave the house. Terry briefly separated from the family to cool off. She and Terry were approached by Virgil Brown, who was insulting her and instigating Terry,” Woodruff explained.
Woodruff said Brown’s fiancé further reported Terry took two butter knives from the kitchen and allegedly took a “defensive stance toward everyone, but discarded the butter knives and retrieved another knife, which he already had on his person.”
Brown then allegedly began pointing the knife at other people. “At this point, Virgil Brown II grabbed Terry to subdue him and a scuffle ensued in the hallway,” Woodruff said.
“During this scuffle, Virgil Brown II released Terry, and everyone realized he had been stabbed.” When contacted, Woodruff said, the younger Brown alleged “people were trying to fight him and that Virgil Brown II put him in a choke hold, so he pulled out his knife and stabbed him ‘in self-defense.’
The Daily American Republic contributed information for this story.
