Springfield murder trial of man accused of killing bystander in his home begins

It's clear that Rickey Rose's illegal dealings indirectly led to the shooting death of his roommate, a 23-year-old homeowner unaware that Rose made his living selling methamphetamine and guns.

When Chandler Sweaney handed Rose a copy of his house keys in early 2021 after becoming acquainted through a Facebook roommates wanted ad, he may not have thought he put himself in a precarious situation. Three renters occupied the west Springfield home's respective bedrooms while Sweaney lived in a garage he converted into a bedroom.

It was a resourceful means of extra income for Sweaney that appeared to be safe — until it wasn't.

Sweaney was gunned down in his living room Feb. 1, 2021, when two men frantically fled Rose's bedroom after a drug and gun deal went awry.

Paul Morales, 31, is accused of firing his pistol at Sweaney, who had been sitting on a couch watching television as Morales and Timothy C. Johnson robbed and assaulted Rose.

Thirty-four months later, Morales faced a jury Tuesday for his second-degree murder trial — a group that could put him behind bars for decades.

Rose, who has multiple felony convictions, didn't pull the trigger, but he recently pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge because, by Missouri law, his felony activity led to Sweaney's death.

Johnson, who punched Rose and shot him in the leg before fleeing the home with Morales, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Rose, who received a 10-year sentence, and Johnson, who received 15 years, said in court that they were each offered plea deals for the charge if they testified against Morales, which they did Tuesday in handcuffs and jail suits.

Wearing glasses and a dress shirt, Morales sat near his defense attorney, John Briggs, as prosecutor Phillip Furhman presented several state witnesses. The list included law enforcement, dispatchers, medical examiners, roommates, friends of Rose at the home, emergency responders, Rose, Johnson and others. Two more state witnesses were scheduled to testify Wednesday.

"I wish I died that day and not Chandler," said Rose, who had known Sweaney only weeks before his death.

The trial in Greene County Judge Jerry Harmison's courtroom is expected to end later this week.

State gives opening argument but defense defers

When Greene County major crimes prosecutor Furhman presented his opening argument to the jury Tuesday, he communicated what most people familiar with this case already knew. Additional details would follow from those on the witness stand, but there didn't appear to be any major revelations.

What wasn't completely clear, however, was Morales' defense. His public defender, John Briggs, elected to reserve his opening argument, meaning he may give the defense's statement at a later time in the trial. It's a relatively rare move, as many believe that when communicating with a jury, the earlier the better.

But Morales' pursuit of exoneration in the murder case has been anything but conventional.

Months before the trial, prosecutors offered Morales a plea deal that would have dropped his felon in possession of a firearms charge. He refused.

More: Man pleads guilty to murder for 2021 shooting death of innocent roommate caught in feud

Morales went as far as trying to drop his current public defender Briggs in a previous hearing. He attempted to represent himself in court without an attorney before changing his mind.

He is not only up against state investigators and prosecutors who believe he killed Sweaney, but also the testimonies of Johnson and Rose, who said they were initially reluctant to roll over on Morales.

Briggs attempted to poke holes in witness testimonies in cross-examination Tuesday, claiming discrepancies in police interviews about what was being said on the stand from the details of the day of incident.

Johnson and Morales, who said they were only acquaintances, both reportedly had ties to the gang Gangster Disciples. They messaged Rose 25 minutes before the shooting to say they were on their way to the home; Johnson was seeking a gun and Morales sought to "re-up" on meth.

Rose said he was scared to comply with investigators as he feared retaliation.

"I think about that day every day of my life," said Rose, who couldn't look at a photo of a smiling Sweaney shown by prosecutors for more than a second before averting his eyes. "And I hope (Morales) does, too."

Rose said they may have used his gun to kill Sweaney, as it was taken from his bedroom after he had been punched and shot in the leg by Johnson.

Johnson said the argument stemmed from Morales still owing Rose money from a previous deal that led to the situation turning violent at a residence in the 800 block of West Chestnut Expressway.

Rose said he was unexpectedly assaulted. Johnson said Rose was reaching for his gun when the verbal exchange became heated, prompting the assault and ensuing chaos.

"I should have never been messing with Paul," Rose said.

Autopsy photos shown

Several people were in the home during the shooting and each pointed to Morales as the shooter. Some said they fled to the garage in fear when shots rang out.

Investigators said after Johnson shot Rose in the leg, Morales bolted out of the bedroom and headed for the front door when he saw Sweaney near the couch. Morales allegedly fired a single round, hitting Sweaney in the shoulder. He immediately dropped to the ground and died at the scene.

Autopsy photos shown to the court Tuesday showed a bullet hole in Sweaney's shoulder. A medical examiner said the round traveled through the lower neck and was lodged in his left shoulder.

Remembering Sweaney

Several members of Sweaney's family were in the courtroom Tuesday wearing tribute shirts to their late relative that said "Do better, be better."

Sweaney was a 2015 graduate of Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the school band and was described by friends and family as fun and affable.

He worked at Jimm's Steakhouse for several years and was a lead chef at the time of his death. He was on the Missouri Board of Realtors and was an agent for RE/MAX.

The News-Leader will continue coverage of this case on the day of Morales' verdict.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Details revealed on Day 1 of Springfield murder trial of Paul Morales