Man charged in Bentley murder to be charged as repeat offender

COLUMBIA — Hearings in the cases of two Columbia men accused of second-degree murder continued Monday in Boone County Circuit Court.

Malcolm A. Washington, 26, and Quillan E. Jacobs, 17, are charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree robbery in the June 2008 shooting death of 22-year-old Nathaniel Bentley of Columbia.

Both Public Defender Kevin O’Brien and Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Scholz, substituting for Assistant Prosecutor Richard Hicks, were momentarily befuddled when the paperwork for the prosecution's motion in Washington's case was absent from both lawyers' files. After sharing his copy of the motion with O'Brien and Scholz, Judge Kevin Crane permitted the motion, which will charge Washington as a persistent misdemeanor offender.

Under Missouri law, the judge determines the sentence when a person is convicted as a persistent misdemeanor offender. When an individual has no prior convictions, a jury determines the sentence, Hicks said.

Washington's criminal record, according to Missouri Case.net, began in 2001 and includes convictions for attempted unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana. Washington is currently serving a 120-day sentence for second-degree property damage and disturbing the peace, according to Case.net.

Crane also granted a motion by Jacobs' attorney Special Public Defender Gerald Mueller that requested additional time to investigate witnesses.

Hearings for both Jacobs and Washington will continue at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in Boone County Circuit Court.