BOONE COUNTY, MO. -- The trial of a Columbia woman accused of plotting to kill her estranged husband 6 years ago continues at the Boone County Courthouse.
It is day three of testimony in the murder trial of Tausha Morton.
Morton faces a charge of first degree murder for the 2004 shooting death of Mitch Kemp.
Six years ago, Tausha Morton was married to two men at the same time.
Prosecutors said Tausha convinced her husband Greg Morton to shoot and kill her estranged husband Mitch Kemp after accusing Kemp of raping her and her daughter. After the murder, Tausha and Greg divorced. That’s when Keith Jones became Tausha’s new boyfriend and learned about Tausha’s involvement with the murder of Mitch Kemp.
“She said that she met him, I think some place where he was at, a bar or wherever he was," Jones said. "She got him to come back to the farm. When he got out of the vehicle, Mr. Morton was there and shot him.”
Prosecutors called another boyfriend of Tausha Morton’s to the witness stand. Dwayne Barrentine was Tausha’s boyfriend after Keith Jones. Jones told Barrentine about Tausha’s dark secret.
“I said, what else do you know?" Barrentine said. "He said I know that she was involved with in the murder of one of her ex’s. That was the first time I heard anything like that. I had been told so many lies that I didn’t necessarily know what to believe.”
Earlier in the trial, Tausha’s husband at the time of the murder, Greg Morton, admitted he shot and killed Mitch Kemp. Morton testified that he believes he killed an innocent man because of Tausha Morton’s lies.
If convicted of first degree murder, Tausha Morton could get life in prison. The trial could last up to seven days.
Greg Morton pled guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against his former wife. He is scheduled for sentencing on Monday.
Prosecutors will continue to call their witnesses tomorrow.
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