Third co-defendant ordered to stand trial in Lamar murder case

Jul. 7—LAMAR, Mo. — A Joplin man waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday, becoming the third co-defendant to be ordered to stand trial in the slaying of 51-year-old Terry Harless, of Lamar.

Tre R. Ackerson, 27, waived the hearing in Barton County Circuit Court and faces a charge of second-degree murder. Associate Judge James Nichols set the defendant's initial appearance in a trial division of the court for July 15.

Ackerson's stepbrother, Lane R. Bronson, 27, of Webb City, and David W. Morris, 33, of Duenweg, had been ordered to stand trial previously on second-degree murder charges.

Investigators believe fingerprints and ballistics evidence are indicative of the trio's involvement in the fatal shooting of Harless a year ago at his home at 710 Broadway in Lamar and expect DNA test results to back up their case.

Lamar police officers responding to a report of shots fired in the early morning hours of July 13 found the front door of the victim's residence standing wide open with his body in the doorway.

A witness who had been at the victim's residence earlier that morning told police that he heard Harless providing his address to someone on the phone. The witness told police that a few hours later, three men showed up, came inside and sat down in the room with Harless.

The witness told police that the visitors made him feel uncomfortable, and he left and went to a convenience store.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol investigator testified at the preliminary hearing of Bronson in January that considerable forensic evidence was gathered at the scene of the slaying, including cigarette butts and cups on which DNA tests were ordered, two 9 mm casings and fingerprints lifted from various items found in the room where Harless appeared to have been shot.

A fingerprint obtained from a tin containing methamphetamine that was discovered inside a backpack left on a couch proved to be that of Ackerson as did another print lifted from a baggie left on a coffee table in front of the couch. A partial print lifted from a piece of junk mail left on the coffee table matched Bronson, the investigator testified.

The backpack on the couch also contained an empty pistol holder and an unfired 9 mm round. But no firearm was recovered at the scene. A second backpack that contained Harless' wallet and may have belonged to the victim was found near his body and may have been the object of a struggle, according to the investigator.

An affidavit filed with the charging of Morris states that investigators obtained information from the victim's Facebook account and cellular call logs showing contact between Harless and Morris in the early morning hours of the date of the slaying. In those messages, Morris was inquiring about the purchase of a vehicle from Harless, and the victim invited him to come see him about the matter, according to the affidavit.