Springfield man sentenced to 22 years in prison for 2021 shooting

Christopher Kuder had a pacemaker, a defibrillator and used a cane to walk.

Despite his health issues and limitations, when Kuder saw Mickal Johnson standing in the street in a heated argument with Kuder's girlfriend, Kuder walked over to where they were fighting and placed himself between Johnson and Kuder's girlfriend.

Witnesses to the 2021 shooting would later tell police that Kuder did not say anything to Johnson or make any gestures that might appear threatening.

Yet Johnson immediately shot Kuder in the chest and heart with a 9mm pistol, then fled. A neighbor called 911 and attempted CPR on Kuder, 41, who was pronounced dead at a Springfield hospital.

The shooting happened on the roadway in the 1400 block of East Atlantic Street in Springfield's Robberson neighborhood, west of Glenstone Avenue and just north of some railroad tracks. The shooting took place in front of the house where Kuder and several others lived, around 2 a.m. on June 9, 2021.

Nearly three years later, Kuder's family received justice.

Greene County Circuit Judge Kaiti Greenwade sentenced Johnson to 22 years in prison on Thursday, May 30, 2024.

Johnson, now 25, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm. As part of the plea deal, Greene County prosecutors dropped armed criminal action charges.

Assistant Greene County Prosecutor Nicholas Bergeon asked that Johnson be sentenced to 22 years in a Missouri Department of Corrections prison. Johnson's public defender, James Robert Hayes, asked for 15 years.

Second-degree murder is a Class A felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison under Missouri law. Unlawful possession of a firearm is a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, but both parties agreed that the sentence for that charge should be concurrent with the sentence for murder .

Judge Greenwade explained why she granted the prosecutor's request. She called the fatal shooting a “tragedy” and reminded Johnson that he was on probation that night and had been ordered by the court to complete a sober living program.

The judge said she was concerned about Johnson's behavior since he was in prison, including two fights, including one that resulted in an assault charge. She pointed to Johnson's initial refusal to cooperate with a court-ordered sentencing interview. These were choices Johnson made “knowing that this was up in the air, knowing what was at stake for you,” the judge said.

Greenwade then spoke about Johnson's decisions on June 9, 2021.

“You made a choice to point a gun, pull the trigger and end a life,” Greenwade said.

Girlfriend of victim: “This man gave his life for me”

At the sentencing hearing, Bergeon played police body camera footage of the shooting scene, the moment officers found Johnson about 15 minutes after the shooting and the interrogation of the police.

In the interrogation video, Johnson eventually admitted to shooting Kuder, but claimed he felt threatened. Johnson told the officer that Kuder “rushed at me like he was going to stab me with a knife.”

When asked if he actually saw a knife, Johnson replied, “you could tell he had something on him.”

“I felt threatened,” Johnson said in the video. “I shot him for my protection.”

Bergeon called Johnson's claims that he was afraid an “absurd story.”

Bergeon also spoke about Johnson's criminal history, which includes an assault charge in 2017 and four other arrests for violent crimes that did not result in charges. Johnson pleaded guilty in 2019 to the Class B felony burglary. He was placed on probation for that burglary conviction, Bergeon said, and was ordered to remain in a sober house.

At the time of the shooting, Johnson had been kicked out of two sober living homes, was using drugs and owned a gun.

Bergeon told the court that in the moments before the shooting, Johnson had argued with Ana Cota, who was in a relationship with Christopher Kuder. At one point, Johnson told Cota that he “wanted to kill himself” and would “shoot ab-h.”

The argument became loud and attracted the attention of neighbors, including Kuder, who tried to intervene by stepping between the two.

Cota was among those who gave victim impact statements during Johnson's May 30 sentencing hearing.

“This man gave his life for me,” Cota said. “He was a wonderful man. He was a hero.

An emotional Cota told Greenwade she felt guilty because she didn't think saving her life was worth losing Kuder's. But because of his death, Cota said she has worked to get sober and is now close to her grandchildren.

Kuder's uncle, Michael Rogers, also spoke at the hearing, describing Kuder as a “good kid” with a “strong heart.”

“This man devastated our entire family,” Rogers said of Johnson. “My sister has been worried about this for three years.

“We have no ill will,” Rogers added. “I just pray that he gets along well with God.”

Burgeon, the prosecutor, spoke of Kuder's family who had to endure three years of hearings, extensions and delays.

“(Johnson) hoped the state’s cause would eventually collapse,” Burgeon said, adding that it didn’t happen because Kuder “was loved.”

“It’s no coincidence that he died protecting someone else,” Burgeon said. “That’s who he was.”

Defense lawyer: “It was a house trap”

Hayes, Johnson's attorney, acknowledged that Kuder's death was a tragedy but said the shooting was “entirely related to drug abuse.”

Hayes said Kuder's house was inhabited by several people, all of whom were drug addicts.

According to Hayes, it's not Johnson's fault that the trial lasted three years. Hayes said Johnson had several public defenders who moved on to other jobs.

Hayes reminded the judge that Johnson was only 22 at the time of the shooting, then spoke about adolescent brain development and impulse control in people before they turn 26.

“We're not asking the court for a slap on the wrist or probation,” Hayes said.

The defense attorney read a letter written by Johnson. In the letter, Johnson apologized to “the court, my family, and most importantly, Chris' family.”

“Please know that I make no excuses,” Johnson wrote. “I did the unthinkable.”

Accused of assaulting another inmate

Johnson is also charged with third-degree assault for an incident that occurred on October 1, 2021 in the Greene County Jail.

According to a probable cause statement from the Greene County Sheriff's Office, Johnson can be seen in jail security footage punching another inmate in the head and face three times during an evening meal. The other inmate fell to the ground and Johnson returned to his jail cell.

Jackie Rehwald

Jackie Rehwald is a reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen. She covers public safety, courts, homelessness, domestic violence and other social issues. His office line is 417-837-3659. More from Jackie Rehwald