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Local man sentenced for 2013 homicide
Joseph Thornton will serve 35 years after hitting and killing Jeremy Johnson with his vehicle at a party on April 28, 2013.
BENTON - A man will spend 35 years in prison in connection with a 2013 death of a Sikeston resident during a family gathering.
Joseph Thornton, 27, learned his fate during a sentencing hearing before Judge Benjamin Lewis, circuit judge in Cape Girardeau. Thornton had entered guilty pleas on Sept. 30 for the death of Jeremy Johnson and multiple assaults of others at a party on April 28, 2013, in Sikeston.
During the party, Thornton had argued with one of those attending the event and was asked to leave by the homeowner. According to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety's investigation, Thornton, his wife and child got into his vehicle but instead of leaving, Thornton drove back into the driveway, where he struck Michael Seuell.
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