A teenager in Missouri has been charged with murder in the death of a man who was shot more than a dozen times and rolled up in an air mattress, authorities said.
Jackson Pierce, 18, of St. Peters, Missouri, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Dalton Coleman, 23, of O’Fallon, Missouri, St. Peters police said in a statement.
He has pleaded not guilty and has been referred to a public defender for representation. His attorney could not immediately be reached Thursday night.
Police were contacted Monday by a witness who said that he had been at Pierce’s residence but left while three people were there — Pierce, a second man and a minor — but that Pierce later told him he had killed a man who tried to punch him, according to a probable cause statement reviewed by NBC News.
Pierce told the person who called police that he and the man had fought over a gun in the bedroom, the probable cause statement said.
“The witness stated that Pierce informed him that the victim was shot 3-4 times but did not go down so Pierce continued to shoot,” according to the probable cause statement. “The witness reported that Pierce informed him that he shot victim 1 (14) times.”
Police then monitored Pierce’s home for hours and later called in a county SWAT unit. Pierce and the juvenile came out and were detained, according to the probable cause statement.
A search of Pierce’s home, according to the probable cause statement, turned up a tightly rolled air mattress that was wrapped by an electrical cord, the probable cause statement said.
“It was later discovered victim 1’s corpse had been placed inside of the air mattress with a white plastic garbage bag secured around his head with an electrical cord,” the probable cause statement said.
Pierce told police that the person who was killed had forced his way into his bedroom and that the two physically fought. He said that the man tried to hit him and was looking at the gun but that he grabbed it, the statement said.
Pierce said he fired the gun 14 times, until it was empty, the statement said.
Police found 13 shell casings in the bedroom. Pierce told police he and the juvenile then rolled the dead man into the air mattress and moved him to a different bedroom, according to the probable cause statement.
Police said in addition to second-degree murder, Pierce is also charged with armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence.
Pierce was taken to the St. Charles County Jail on $1 million cash-only bond and remained there Thursday night.
Police said the minor’s case is being handled in county family court.
St. Peters is about 30 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis.
