Defendant in February shooting death waives initial hearing

COLUMBIA – One of the six people involved in the February murder of 18-year-old Ronald Cornell “Corey” Brown appeared in Boone County Circuit Court Monday to waive his initial hearing in the case to speed up the arraignment process.

Andre Josiah Lee, 21, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree attempted robbery. He can face 10 to 30 years or life for the murder charge and 5 to 15 years for attempted robbery. Gerald Mueller, Lee's private attorney, said Lee is charged with second-degree murder because he was charged with committing a felony while a murder was committed.

According to previous Missourian reports, Lee was with Brown and another individual on Feb. 16 in the Ballenger Liquor parking lot on 2201 Ballenger Lane waiting to buy marijuana. Four other individuals were to meet them to allegedly sell the marijuana, but each group was actually planning to rob the other and neither brought drugs or money to the transaction.

When a Jeep pulled into the parking lot, reports indicate that Bradley Edward Enyart, 17, got out of the Jeep and opened fire, striking Brown in the upper leg and abdomen. Brown was later pronounced dead at University Hospital.

Lee is being held at Boone County Jail on a $1 million bond. His arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on June 15 in front of Circuit Judge Gary Oxenhandler.