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PrintCOLUMBIA — Tausha L. Fields was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday afternoon in Boone County Court.
On June 29, Fields was found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the shooting death of ex-husband Mitchell W. Kemp. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the charge of armed criminal action.
- Tracy Kemp, brother of murder victim Mitchell Kemp, talks to reporters with family members Tuesday night after a jury took nearly nine hours to convict Tausha Fields in the shooting death of her former husband Mitchell Kemp. Fields was convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
- Defense attorney Paul Hood (left) offers up business records as proof to Judge Oxenhandler while court reporter Kristal Murphy enters the information into official record on June 29 at the Boone County Courthouse during jury deliberation for Tausha Fields' trial. She is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of her ex-husband Mitchell Kemp in 2004.
- Attorneys Richard Hicks (left) and Paul Hood (right) inspect evidence photographs at the jury's request for images that show Lexi, Tausha Fields' daughter, in August 2004 during jury deliberations for Fields' trial on June 29 at the Boone County Courthouse.
- Tausha Fields listens as her attorney, Paul Hood, delivers his closing argument to the jury during Fields's first-degree murder trial June 29 at the Boone County Courthouse.
- Tausha Fields, center, listens to testimony from Detective David Wilson with one of her attorneys, Kim Shaw, left, during trial on June 28 at the Boone County Courthouse. Wilson answered questions from the defense about her continuous contact with the authorities prior to her arrest.
- Defense witness Jami Bowden breaks down on the stand during Tausha Fields' trial on June 28 at the Boone County Courthouse while recounting an altercation in 2005 between herself and Greg Morton. Morton pleaded guilty in June 2009 to killing Fields' ex-husband Mitchell Kemp on August 24, 2004.
- Tausha Fields scribbles notes on a piece of paper during a short recess Friday during the fifth day of her first-degree murder trial at the Boone County Courthouse. The prosecution showed videos from the 2008 interviews between Fields and detectives during both the morning and afternoon sessions.
- Enforcement Officer Brandon Weber of the Boone County Sheriff's Department watched videos from the 2008 interviews between Tausha Fields and detectives during the fifth day of Fields' first-degree murder trial at the Boone County Courthouse on June 25. Weber was one of many in attendance during the afternoon.
- Boone County detective, David Wilson, testifies during the fifth day of Tausha Fields' first-degree murder trial at the Boone County Courthouse on June 25. The prosecution showed videos from the 2008 interviews between Fields and detectives during both the morning and afternoon sessions.
- Keith Jones identifies vacation photos while living in Florida with Tausha Fields during witness testimony in Fields' first-degree murder trial on Thursday at the Boone County Courthouse.
- Tausha Fields is charged with the death of her husband, Mitchell Kemp.
Kemp was killed Aug. 24, 2004, at a south Boone County farm that Fields shared with then-husband Gregory W. Morton. Morton pleaded guilty in June 2009 for the killing of Kemp, and, in exchange for testifying against Fields, his charge was lowered to second-degree murder.
On July 6, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
During Fields’ trial, attorneys for both sides agreed Fields took Kemp to the farmwhere Morton shot him multiple times. Fields then helped bury the body on the property. Although the defense argued Morton scared Fields into covering up the crime after he killed Kemp, prosecutors argued Fields manipulated Morton into killing him.
Fields' sentencing took place after two of Kemp's family members made statements.
Kemp's daughter Tara tearfully recounted her attempts to locate her father and listed everything she wished to say to him.
During his statement, Kemp’s brother Tracy looked directly at Fields and called her a “master manipulator,” charging she should never see freedom again.
Fields fidgeted throughout the statements but stood motionless during sentencing.
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Comments
This Tausha Fields case somehow turned into a little bit of a lynch mob. Sounds like the jury probably went home every night. Good job media. Compare this to the recent Anthony trial and it almost seems the system was broken for both trials. As far as this case, what happened to the gun? Hard to have an untraceable gun now days. Greg Morton's testimony should of been thrown out based on the deal he was getting. Even the jurors said he sounded like he was well coached. The jurors also said they did not like giving her a stronger conviction not even being the shooter so what happened. The jurors basically said somehow Morton was more believable and that was enough. They did not even say they believed him. Yes she lies a lot and takes advantage of guys that would never have a chance at getting as an attractive girl as her but we have manipulative people all over the place. That doesn't get you life in prison. Look at the media for one. Helping to bury the body definitely gets her some time but she did not pull the trigger and those are really the only two facts we have. Oh yes, the motive was ridiculous. Don't you think if she was so good she would be at least setting someone up with a life insurance policy or at least a child custody case but there was nothing. I did not see the whole trial but pretty sure her attorney was not best. I know he did not interview well on tv so sometimes that's all it takes and she better get a new one for her appeals.