Aurora’s Young accused of murder, burglary in Springfield

By: 
Steve Chapman

Series of death threat texts foreshadow killing; suspect currently in Greene County Jail, in court May 18
 
 
An Aurora man was arrested after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Springfield. James Lee Young, 29, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Johnny Hipol, 30, of Springfield.

Young allegedly sent threatening texts before arriving
According to the probable cause statement in the case, on Friday, March 25, a woman who had dated Young at one time, but broke up with him in September of 2020 due to what she said where domestic violence issues, said she was at a relative’s house on Commercial Street when Young began texting her several messages in which he demanded she speak with him. The alleged messages included: “You need to (expletive) call me now, b-tch. This will be the last time you are told, so you can guess what comes next.”
The final text message mentioned in the probable cause statement read, “I’m not done with you. I swear I’m killing you and the others.”

Young allegedly forced his way into home
On the morning of Saturday, March 26, the woman said, she and Hipol were talking in the living room of the house when they heard a thud at the door. Hipol went to answer the door, she said, and spoke with Young, who was at the door, for “about five minutes.”
The woman said she heard Young say that she needed to come outside, or the place was going to get shot up, but Hipol said she wasn’t there. Eventually, she said, she heard Hipol tell Young he would go see if he could find the woman.
After Hipol came inside, the woman said she was making her way to the back of the house when Young entered through the front door and demanded that she come outside. She said Young then started fighting with another man, identified as T.LG. who was standing near the front door while more people entered the house. The woman said Hipol then fired a warning shot at the people entering the house to keep them from coming inside, but then someone said, ‘Oh, you want to bring guns? We got guns,” and returned fire.

Other account of shooting
Police arrived at the scene and found Hipol dead and another man, identified as C.B. shot in the arm. C.B. later told the police he saw a man he didn’t recognize standing in the threshold of the living room with his arm extended into the room and holding a gun. C.B. also told police that he wasn’t certain who fired first, but he heard gunfire next to him and assumed Hipol had fired a shot, though C.B. didn’t see him do it. It was then, C.B. said, he realized he’d been shot in the arm.

Young arrested
Young was booked into the Greene County Jail on Monday, April 9; he continued to be held there without bond as of press time. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, May 18. It was unclear if anyone else had been arrested in connection with the case.
According to the criminal complaint against him, he has prior convictions for theft and possession of a controlled substance.

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Lawrence County Record

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

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