In the late hours of a November evening in 1996, 29-year-old Barry County Deputy Christopher Lee Castetter responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in Cassville, Missouri. When he arrived, the vehicle’s occupant, Cecil Clayton, opened fire and struck Deputy Castetter in the head. Castetter was taken to a Springfield medical center and died the next day, November 28, 1996.

Investigators identified and arrested Cecil Clayton; the shooting was linked to an earlier argument Clayton had with his girlfriend. Reports say Clayton told a friend about the shooting and tried to manufacture an alibi. A jury in June 1999 found Clayton guilty of first-degree murder and recommended death. Clayton’s defense raised issues about a 1972 sawmill accident that removed part of his frontal lobe, arguing it affected his mental state.

If anyone knew Deputy Castetter, saw him that night, or has information about the incident or the vehicle involved, please share what is known.