First witnesses take stand during second day of Plush Lounge murder trial
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Several witnesses took the stand on the second day of a jury trial for a deadly shooting in 2023 at a former Columbia nightclub.
The four-day jury trial for Kimo Spivey began Monday morning. Court reconvened around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, where the prosecution called several witnesses to the stand.
Spivey, 35, of Columbia is charged with first-degree murder, illegal gun possession, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.
He’s accused in the shooting death of Melvin Hooker III outside Plush Lounge in Columbia in May of 2023.
The prosecution in the case called several witnesses to the stand on Tuesday, including current and former Columbia Police Department officers who responded to the night the shooting occurred.
A Trooper from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control spoke about digital evidence from the lounge the night of the shooting.
Assistant Boone County Prosecutor Tony Gonzalez said Monday in court that Spivey is a felon and should not have had a gun. The state called the Boone County Circuit Clerk, as well as the record keeper from the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center, to further its claim that Spivey has a history of felonies. They both spoke on Spivey’s previous convictions in felony cases from 2013 and 2009.
Three people were charged in the shooting. Samuel Moss Jr, of Columbia, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Justin Lamar Simpson, 42, is charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of armed criminal action and illegal gun possession. His next court date was not listed on Casenet.
Two CPD crime scene investigators who responded to the scene also testified on the stand Tuesday to discuss photos taken on scene, along with how the process helps with the collection of evidence. The longest of the witnesses came from a Plush Lounge Security guard, who was on the stand for about an hour and a half.
The man– who asked that his identity not be revealed– claimed he was working as a security guard the night of the shooting. The man claimed he was notified of a disturbance in the parking lot that night, and went outside to find Hooker hitting his girlfriend. He claims he fought with Hooker after asking him to leave the club, who pinned him against a vehicle. He said he eventually believed the situation was under control.
The security guard said he heard Hooker say “y’all got guns I got guns too” at some point during an altercation between a group of people including Spivey, Moss, Simpson and Hooker. He said he heard what sounded like “war” when describing the amount of gunshots that were fired off.
The man claimed he saw Spivey and Moss with guns in their hands that night and claims he saw Spivey shoot his gun. However, he was unsure of who shot first. He also claimed he fired off two rounds from his own gun after being shot at when gunshots rang out.
The prosecution also played surveillance video in the courtroom of the roughly six minutes before the shooting occurred. Gonzalez asked the security guard various questions, including identifying which man was which in the video.
The defense cross examined, emphasizing that the security guard did not know exactly who shot Hooker. He also questioned why he shot his own gun, claiming he didn’t know who he was shooting toward. The man responded by saying he shot out of self-defense.
Spivey’s attorney said on Monday that Spivey acted in self-defense. The defense did not call any defenses to the stand on Tuesday.
Court documents in previous reporting say a witness allegedly told police that they saw “Spivey shoot and kill hooker” after an argument between a group of people.