Police identify woman killed in shooting in north Springfield; 1 facing charges

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Police identified a woman found dead from a gunshot wound at a home in north Springfield on Monday.

Lavona R. Haddock, 61, of Springfield died in the incident. The Greene County prosecutor charged Lilburn W. Motley, 66, of Springfield, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the case.

Investigators responded to the shooting in the 2000 block of North Marion around 3:30 p.m. Monday. Police arrested Motley at the scene of the deadly shooting.

Investigators say Motley told officers he shot his girlfriend of 37 years to “shut her up.” A witness in the home described as the couple’s son-in-law says they were arguing, a common occurrence, according to his statement, when he heard the gun go off. Motley told investigators that he was cleaning his gun and it accidentally went off hitting Haddock. However, Motley’s son-in-law told police he hasn’t seen him clean the gun in months. Officers also say the weapon did not appear to be recently cleaned or oiled.

Additionally, Motley was convicted of a felony crime in 1986 and was not permitted to own a firearm. If convicted of first-degree murder Motley could face up to 30 years in prison. A conviction of armed criminal action carries an additional sentence of up to seven years.

Detectives ask if you know anything about this case, contact the Springfield Police Department at (417) 984-1810 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at (417) 869-TIPS (8477). This incident marks the twenty-fifth homicide investigated by SPD in 2021.

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