St. James man pleads guilty to murder, assault
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A St. James man pleaded guilty on Thursday to second-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to a Friday social media post from the Phelps County prosecutor.
Joseph Snow, 35, will be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, the post says. He was previously charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed-criminal action and first-degree assault. He is being held at the Phelps County Jail.
Court documents in previous reporting indicate Snow killed Luke Moreland after he stabbed him eight times and injured another man, Jeffrey Pitts, who was stabbed nine times on May 9, 2023.
Snow ran away from the scene, but allegedly admitted to the stabbings after he was detained, court documents in previous reporting say.