Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger recently announced that Timothy Scott Midgyett, 29, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to the June 2020 murder of Chance Davis of Mexico. Midgyett pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree, unlawful use of a weapon resulting in death, and burglary in the first degree and received fifteen year sentences on those crimes, with an additional, consecutive 10-year sentence for armed criminal action, the use of a firearm in a felony murder. 

This means the total sentence is 25 years in prison.

 “Timothy Midgyett’s sentence is firm punishment for the murder of Chance Davis,” Shellabarger said, “but this sentence will not totally reflect this crime’s damage to the Kemp and Davis families, nor our community. His plea of guilty and the strong sentences reflect the seriousness of his conduct, and Midgyett’s lengthy incarceration should serve as a deterrent to others – that gun crimes and home invasions carry a heavy penalty. Our thought are with Chance’s family, particularly his young son, his parents and all of Mexico who knew and cherished Chance.” 

The early morning June 27, 2020 home invasion shook the Mexico community, which led to an extensive search and investigation by Mexico Public Safety and the Mid-Missouri Major Case Squad. Timothy Midgyett, Sadiq Moore, and Deyton Curtis-Fisher were involved in the murder. Moore and Midgyett entered the West Street home and fired a single shot. Chance Davis was murdered in front of his significant other and his young son. 

“Mexico Public Safety’s officers delivered a case that was thorough, professional & complete,” said Shellabarger. “The officers in this case were faced with a terrible situation, the death of a young father. They handled the initial call and the continuing investigation with purpose and focus. MPSD’s professional effort to find Chance Davis’ killers was undertaken with exceptional care, diligence and hard work.” 

Shellabarger’s office was assisted by the Missouri Attorney General’s Public Protection Division in this case, with assistant attorneys General Kelly Snyder and Greg Goodwin leading the prosecution. 

“I am grateful for the skilled, technical assistance provided by the Attorney General’s Office in this case,” Shellabarger said. “Their experience, dedication and hard work paid off in these verdicts. Their help in bringing this killer to justice is appreciated and valuable. This case was complex, involving dozens of witnesses, other criminal defendants, and faced significant logistical challenges. Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s team worked hard, put in long hours, and built a case efficiently over these past months to bring this case to a close. We were ready to try the case to a verdict, but he pleaded. The AG’s Office brought us exactly the kind of specialists Missouri prosecutors can depend on.”