Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger announced Friday that Javon Hornbeak, 20, of Mexico, was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison after his role in a fatal shooting at Garfield Park.

Hornbeak had previously entered a plea of guilty of the felonies of murder in the second degree, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, for an Aug. 5, 2020, shooting at Garfield Park in Mexico that killed Tornez Burton of Mexico and injured Jzyeshawn Palmer and Davayjion Blackwell.

Shellabarger, with assistance from Assistant Attorneys General Paige Wheeler and Mik Ebert, prosecuted the case in Audrain County Circuit Court. Judge Rachel Bringer Shepherd, from the 10th Judicial Circuit, ordered the sentence today in Mexico, after Hornbeak’s plea in April.

“Javon Hornbeak’s choice to bring a gun to a fist fight at Garfield Park caused Tornez Burton’s death,” Shellabarger said. “The Tornez family has lost a son, an uncle, a cousin and our community has lost a caring and vibrant young man. The family will live with these impacts for generations to come.

“Also, two other young men were injured when Hornbeak started shooting, and their lives are forever changed by the experience.”

Prosecutors spoke on the dangers of gun violence and that the sentencing said volumes of the community not accepting these times of actions.

“The only person who escalated the situation was Javon Hornbeak, when he fired six rounds into this crowd,” Wheeler said.

The murder occurred when two groups of people met at Garfield Park for a fight. Burton and Hornbeak arrived together, with Palmer and Blackwell coming toward them with the intent to fight. After Palmer swung on Burton, Hornbeak pulled out a handgun and fired shots, which hit Burton in the back, struck Palmer in the leg, and struck Blackwell in the leg.

Burton died at the scene, Palmer, who was immobilized, was taken to a hospital for treatment, and Blackwell left, seeking his own medical treatment.
One of the bullets crashed through a window several blocks from the shooting, and landed on a family’s kitchen table.

Victim family members testified at sentencing.

“Mr. Hornbeak has been weak and lacked guidance in his life,” Burton’s sister, Deonna Burton, said. “This should be a pivotal moment to show our youth how vicious firearms and violence are.”

“Everyone watched this happen,” Tornez’ mother, Takesha Burton, said. “Our community knows what happened. It’s unexplainably painful that Javon didn’t tell us the truth from the beginning, and to respect his mother. A true friend would’ve told the truth about what happened. There is never enough time Javon could serve to make up for the time that Tornez was taken from me. Hornbeak can hug, hold and kiss his family someday, that’s something I will never get to do with my son.”

Alan Dale contributed to this story