Menu
Charleston man sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 murder of East Prairie man
CHARLESTON, Mo. — A Charleston man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2022 murder of an East Prairie, Missouri, man.
DeParis Davion Townsend, 33, on May 22 was found guilty by a jury of his peers of the first degree murder of Joshua Sisk of East Prairie, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest.
On Tuesday, July 9, Townsend was sentenced to life without parole for murder in the first degree; 15 years for armed criminal action; 30 years for unlawful use of a weapon; and seven years for resisting
arrest, with all sentences to run consecutively, according to Mississippi County Prosecutor Claire Poley.
At about 8:55 p.m. July 28, 2022, East Prairie Police Department received a call of multiple shots fired on North Martin Avenue and East Main Street, East Prairie Police Chief Lorrie Christian told the Standard Democrat at the time. Upon officers’ arrival, they located Sisk, who was 39 at the time.
Christian said it was determined quickly that Sisk sustained multiple gunshot wounds. During the investigation, Townsend was identified as the suspect, she said.
After the incident occurred, Townsend fled the scene in a motor vehicle.
“Information was gathered quickly, and it was determined that Townsend was headed to Charleston,” Christian said. “The information was relayed to Charleston Department of Public Safety, and a very short time later, Townsend was spotted by Charleston DPS officers coming into the city on State Highway 105.”
Charleston DPS officers attempted to stop Townsend, but he began to flee in a vehicle through Charleston before being apprehended at the intersection of Vine and Finney streets in Charleston, Christian said.
Sisk was airlifted to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he was later pronounced dead.
The three-day trial, which began on May 20, included expert testimony on gunshot residue and forensic pathology, eyewitness accounts and a closing statement from Poley, the prosecutor said in a news release issued late Tuesday, July 9.
The case involved multiple agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control, East Prairie Police Department, Charleston Police Department and the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office. Poley thanked these agencies and acknowledged the contributions of the jurors, bailiffs, court staff and others who helped the trial run smoothly.
“I am proud of the judicial process and the cooperation of those who come forward in this terrible act of senseless violence,” said Poley, who was appointed by Judge David A. Dolan in September 2021 and elected to office in August 2022. “I hope that this conviction will encourage more
community members to stand up and help us bring justice to victims.”