A 54-year-old Centralia woman has now been charged in Jefferson County Court with two counts of murder in connection with a car-pedestrian accident in the Dix Dollar General Parking Lot.
According to the charges filed against Melissa Howes of Eugene Drive, without legal justification, she pushed her husband, 49-year-old Jeffrey Howes, to the ground and ran him over with a motor vehicle knowing the act would result in his death, with a strong probability of death or great bodily harm.
She had already been charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.
A probable cause statement read in Jefferson County Court on Thursday afternoon indicates the murder charges were filed after Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detectives were provided video Wednesday from the adjoining Rome Meadows apartments showing her shoving her husband down in the Dollar General parking lot where he lied motionless. At the same time, she got into her vehicle, backed up, and pulled forward running over him. The statement indicated the car rested on top of the victim until deputies arrived and jacked up the vehicle to free him.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Jefferson Fire, and United Medical Response all helped provide CPR before Jeffrey Howes was transported to the SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon where he was pronounced dead.
Melissa Howes was once again ordered held without bond following Thursday’s court appearance. A relief hearing, at which Howes will be able to argue for release from the Jefferson County Jail, will be held at two p.m. on September 10th. A preliminary hearing was set for September 24th at nine a.m.
Meanwhile, Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse says the autopsy was conducted at the Williamson County morgue in Marion on Thursday and he is awaiting the final report to determine the cause of death.
