McFall man murdered; two Pattonsburg men charged

The body of Steven Dale Lawrence Jr., 30, McFall, was found by his father, Steven Lawrence Sr., last Wednesday morning in a field northwest of Pattonsburg. The victim had been beaten, and his throat had been slashed.

Two Pattonsburg men, Brandon Ray Anderson, 22, and Kevin W. Harmon, 38, are in custody. They are each charged with murder in the first degree, Class A felony, kidnapping, Class B felony, and armed criminal action, Class B felony.

The three men were together at the Midway Tavern on U.S. Highway 69, Pattonsburg, on the evening of Aug. 3, 2004. Anderson and Harmon allegedly assaulted Lawrence while at the tavern, then forcibly placed him in the trunk of a red 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. They then drove to property located on 123rd Street in Daviess County where they beat, kicked, and finally slashed the neck of the victim. They then moved the body to a brushy area, where it was later found by the victim’s father.

The two subjects were arraigned in Daviess County Associate Circuit Court on Aug. 5, and the cause was continued until Aug. 16 at 9 a.m.

According to the St. Joseph News-Press, the two men believed that Lawrence knew the whereabouts of Charles Corder, who is accused of stabbing Brandon Anderson’s brother, Casey Anderson, on July 24, in Pattonsburg.

Corder, 21, Coffey, turned himself in to the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Aug. 6 and is being held at Midwest Security Housing in Pattonsburg on $35,000 bond. He has been charged with assault second degree, Class C felony, in connection with the stabbing of Casey Anderson of Pattonsburg on July 24. Corder’s preliminary hearing has been set for 9 a.m. on Aug. 16 in the Daviess County Associate Circuit Court.

Steven Lawrence Sr., said Corder lived in a trailer behind their home but had not been there since the alleged stabbing. Mr. Lawrence also said that his son and Harmon had been involved in a fight with a knife several years ago. Lawrence began searching for his son Wednesday morning. Upon discovering his son’s body, the senior Lawrence collapsed and had to be hospitalized. He was without his medication for a heart condition.

A search of Harmon’s home and Anderson’s vehicle yielded a hunting knife, a shotgun, and clothing and carpet squares possibly used to soak up blood.

Two women, Jennifer Brown of McFall, 19, and Jessica Hartley of Pattonsburg, 19, have been charged with hindering prosecution, Class D felony, for helping Corder escape after the stabbing and for giving false reports to law enforcement officers about the incident. Brown is also charged with misdemeanor assault 3rd degree for hitting Anderson during the fight. Casey Anderson was stabbed five times in the back and elbow during the assault, and was released from Cameron Regional Medical Center on Aug. 4.

Law enforcement agencies involved in the murder investigation, in addition to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, include the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the St. Joseph Police Department Crime Scene Unit, the Buchanan, Gentry and Nodaway County sheriff’s departments, the Cameron Police Department, the Maryville Department of Public Safety, Jackson County Medical Examiner and the Kansas City Crime Lab.