Mackey found guilty of Republic murder

By: 
Steve Chapman

Mackey

Aurora man will be sentenced in April
 
An Aurora man was convicted of second-degree murder on Friday, Jan. 20. Shane Leon Mackey, 48, was found guilty of the murder of Racheal Sanders after a three-day bench trial in the Greene County Circuit Court.  

Facts in the case
The Greene County Commonwealth previously reported that on Nov. 9, 2020, a Republic police officer was called to the home of Sanders to perform a well being check. When he arrived, the officer found the screen door was closed, but the front door was open, and looking inside, could see the house was in disarray.
The officer opened the screen door, announced his presence, and entered the residence. He saw blood on the floor of the kitchen and living room, broken glass on the floor, broken furniture and couches torn apart. According to the probable cause statement, “It looked like there was a struggle in the living room and the kitchen.” The officer then heard a man, later identified as Mackey, shout “Back here.”
The officer entered the master bedroom, where he saw blood on the carpet, walls, bedsheets and door. Sanders was lying on her back with her fists clenched “in what appeared to be a defensive position.”
The officer saw Mackey performing CPR on Sanders; he ordered Mackey to leave the room and call EMS. Observing Sanders, the officer noticed bruising on her arms, hands, chest, neck and head. There were also multiple lacerations on Sanders’ face and head, near the hairline. The officer checked Sanders for a pulse but found none.
The officer detained Mackey, who allegedly claimed Sanders came home “like that” and would not go to the hospital. According to the probable cause statement, Mackey had numerous injuries on his body as well, including scratches on the right side of his face, right shoulder, upper-right chest, the left side of his chest and the left of his hip. He also had lacerations on both of his hands, redness on both of his wrists and other injuries.
In the probable cause statement, the officer who arrived first on the scene noted, “Almost every room in the residence had blood on the carpet, walls, doors and door frames. There was also furniture either broken or out of place in almost every room.”

Inconsistent statements
When questioned by police, Mackey said that he and Sanders had gone out to dinner the previous evening, but she left, and he couldn’t find her. He claimed he walked back to her house, a distance of two miles and then found Sanders standing bloodied in the kitchen and the house in disarray. Mackey claimed that she wouldn’t tell him what happened and wouldn’t go to the hospital. He also said that she slept on the floor, and he would check on her periodically. He also said that she asked for a glass of water at 4:30 a.m., and at 5 a.m., when he checked on her, she was dead. Regarding his injuries, Mackey said some were work related, and others happened when he tried to help Sanders into the bathtub to clean up.
According to the probable cause statement, Mackey gave multiple inconsistent statements while on the scene and during his interview. The officer who responded to the scene said he asked multiple times if Sanders was okay, despite having performed CPR on her. But, during the interview, he said he knew she was deceased. He also told dispatch and the officer on scene that Sanders was sick the night before as a possible explanation of events. He also said in the interview that Sanders took pain pills and asked if an overdose could be a possible explanation.
Mackey was arrested and booked into the Greene County Jail after the police interviewed him.

Past events
It was not the first time police were called to a disturbance between Mackey and Sanders. According to the probable cause statement, on Aug. 7, officers responded to a reported domestic disturbance. At that time, Sanders told police that she and Mackey had been drinking, and that Mackey became “belligerent and verbally abusive.” Mackey reportedly left for the night.
The probable cause statement also said Mackey had seven arrests between 2002 and 2013 for domestic assault.

Sentencing in April
After a guilty verdict against Mackey was announced, the judge in the trial ordered a sentencing assessment report. Mackey will next appear in court on Friday, April 7, at which time he will be sentenced. He faces a maximum sentence of life (30 years) in prison.
As of press time, Mackey continued to be held in the Greene County Jail, where he has been in custody since his arrest.
 

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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