Springfield man sentenced to 17 years for murder at apartment party

Carlos "Boo" Tureaud pleaded guilty Wednesday to a 2012 murder that he was not charged with until late 2014.

Tureaud pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Marcus Wells. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the murder charge and three for the other felony.

The sentences run concurrently, and Tureaud must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole, making his minimum sentence about 14 and a half years.

Tureaud, 32, shot Wells several times following an argument at an apartment in central Springfield in the early morning hours of Sept. 1, 2012.

Officials say the argument began while Wells and Tureaud were attending a private party at the apartment complex. Police say Tureaud fired a shot at Wells inside the apartment and then followed him outside and shot him several times, causing his death, according to the release.

Officials say the investigation was hampered because witnesses were unwilling to help police out of fear of Tureaud, but police were able to obtain a witnesses account of the shooting.

A probable cause statement says police found Wells shot in the apartment parking lot, and he was transported to Mercy Hospital, where he eventually died.

The probable cause statement says Tureaud was a resident of the apartment where the argument began. The statement says several witnesses initially implied that Tureaud was the shooter but claimed they did not actually see the incident take place.

The statement says Tureaud fled the area following the shooting, but he was arrested on June 6, 2013, on a parole violation. Tureaud refused to speak with detectives about Wells' shooting, the statement says.

In April of this year, the statement says a witness came forward saying he/she felt guilty for not being truthful after the incident occurred.

The witness said after a brief physical altercation between Tureaud and Wells, Tureaud went to his bedroom and retrieved a gun, according to the statement. The witness said Tureaud fired the first shot and had to have missed on purpose since the subjects were only a few feet away from one another, according to the statement.

The witness said Wells then said, "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me," according to the statement. The witness said Wells then took his shirt off, and he and Tureaud walked outside, according to the statement.

The witness said Tureaud then shot again at Wells at which point Wells began to run away and Tureaud shot him several times in the back, according to the probable cause statement.

Tureaud is currently serving a 15-year sentence for felony drug distribution and shooting at or from a motor vehicle, according to Department of Corrections records.