Cedar County prosecutor files new murder charge in shooting deaths involving deputy

The Cedar County prosecutor filed a new charges against a man involved in the shooting death of another man in November of 2014.

Joshua Jay Brown now faces three counts of felony murder in the death of William Collins. Brown is already serving time for a drug conviction. However, Greene County judge Calvin Holden overturned a jury's murder conviction against Brown in the shooting death of a Cedar County deputy.

Investigators say Brown was the driver of a car, and William Collins was his passenger. Cedar County Deputy Matthew Chism pulled the vehicle over in El Dorado Springs for driving without headlights. Investigators say the car sped off, and a pursuit ensued. Collins soon jumped out of the speeding car and ran. Deputy Chism stopped and chased after him. The two began to struggle . Shots were fired. Collins died. Deputy Chism later died at a hospital. Deputies found Brown was found later at a nearby home. Prosecutors then charged him with second degree murder in Deputy Chism's death, despite prosecutors acknowledging he did not pull the trigger.

Judge Holden stated he believed Brown should have never been charged with felony murder for his involvement in the death of Deputy Chism. Furthermore, the judge gave his opinion Deputy Matthew Chism was not following proper police procedure when he gave chase to passenger William Collins as he fled the vehicle involved in a police pursuit. Judge Holden stated the deputy had no probable cause to believe Collins, who subsequently killed Deputy Chism, was guilty of committing a crime, since the police pursuit began as a traffic stop.