Tennessee woman sentenced in fatal shooting

NEW MADRID, Mo. — A Tennessee woman is headed to prison for the murder of a Mississippi County man.

Brittany S. Curry, 30, of Memphis, Tenn., entered a guilty plea to second degree murder before Judge William E. Reeves, who sentenced her to 16 years in the custody of the Department of Corrections for the Aug. 1, 2017, shooting death of Ralph Cross.

According to the probable cause statement, Cross was found dead in his house in Wilson City. Investigators determined he died from a gunshot to the middle of his back. Although no weapon was found at the scene, investigators did find a 9mm shell casing.

During the investigation into the death, a witnesses came forward to report seeing a woman in Cross’s vehicle with him. Investigators were able to lift a latent fingerprint from the front passenger window.

Barry Morgan, a captain with the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, stated in the probable cause statement that witnesses saw Cross assisting four women who were in a vehicle with Tennessee registration.

“The car had a flat tire and Cross was trying to assist the women with getting it fixed,” Morgan wrote in the probable cause. “Investigators were able to track Cross to a tire shop in Charleston and Sikeston business on the evening of July 31.”

A witness, who last saw Cross at approximately 6:45 a.m. Aug. 1, told investigators he was with the four women, who were possibly adult entertainers from Memphis or Nashville, at Cross’s home in Wilson City. The witness stated when he left the house, one of the women was outside in their vehicle and the other three were inside the house and arguing with Cross.

“After he walked ‘a little ways’ down the street, he heard a noise and then noticed the three females hurry out of the house and get into the white car. The car then drove away and out of town,” Morgan wrote.

As the women were leaving, they stopped their vehicle warning the witness not to return to Cross’s home, he added.

On Aug. 3, 2017, the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Crime Laboratory in Jefferson City identified the latent fingerprint from Cross’ car as belonging to Lauteshia Dotson. Dotson was also identified as one of the women arguing with Cross.

Dotson, along with Brittany Curry, Ponesha Taylor and Johniesha Simmons turned themselves into police that day. They acknowledged to officers to being at Cross’s home but stated he was alive when they left.

During separate interviews by Morgan, two of the women told him Curry shot and killed Cross, according to the probable cause statement.

Reeves ordered the 16-year murder sentence to run concurrently with a four-year sentence handed down March 13, 2018, on a charge of stealing.

The cases were heard in New Madrid County on a change of venue from Mississippi County.