Charges have been filed in connection with a fatal shooting in Buchanan County Sunday night.
Buchanan County Sheriff’ Mike Strong identified the victim as 75-year-old Louis Nold, who was killed at his home at 3407 SE McQueen Road.
Prosecutors charged Justin Paul Appleberry, 23, of St. Joseph with second degree murder Monday afternoon. A judge set bail at $100,000. Appleberry is due in court this Friday.
Sheriff Mike Strong told reporters that on Sunday around 10:45 p.m. the Communication Center received a call from the victim’s home.
“Upon arriving, deputies discovered the unresponsive body of 74 year old Louis P. Nold,” Strong said. “Mr. Nold was transported to Mosaic Life Care where he was pronounced dead.”
“He was shot to death at his home last night,” Col. Bill Puett said. “We have a 23-year-old male in custody. That was done fairly quickly with a partnership with the DeKalb sheriff’s office and Missouri State Highway Patrol.”
Investigators say Appleberry was identified by a witness, that he made a statement to authorities, and that he made reference to killing other people.
According to a probable cause statement filed in Buchanan County Circuit Court, investigators believe Appleberry used to live at the McQueen Road address with the victim. Investigators say in the affidavit that the defendant kicked open the back door of the house, and once inside used a firearm obtained at the location to shoot and kill the victim.
“The defendant was identified by a witness at the location where the shooting occurred, and by statements subsequently made by the defendant,” according to the affidavit. In the affidavit, officer Mark Brock said that he believes the defendant poses a danger to the community because the defendant “made reference to killing other persons.”
Puett said investigators were out all night working the scene and two other locations to recover evidence in DeKalb County, where the suspect was arrested.
Sheriff Strong said an autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday at Frontier Forensics in Kansas City, Kansas. Strong could not say how quickly we might receive a preliminary report from the autopsy.