A former pastor has been released on a $30,000 bond as he continues to await trial for murder. Matthew Dedmon, who was pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Rogersville, Missouri, is accused of killing Joe Newburn, a man Dedmon believed was having an affair with Dedmon’s wife.
The incident occurred on May 28, 2022. Investigators said Dedmon confronted his wife and Newburn after he discovered them having lunch at a restaurant in Ozark, Missouri. Dedmon allegedly accused his wife and Newburn of having an affair before shooting Newburn in the chest three times with a pistol.
Investigators said that Dedmon then placed the pistol back in his vehicle. Police recovered it when they arrived on the scene.
Newburn was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
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Dedmon was originally arrested at the scene in May 2022. According to its website, Heritage Baptist Church, which is a KJV-only Independent Baptist congregation, installed David Dossett as its new pastor in September 2022.
For more than two years, Dedmon has been held in jail without bond on charges of first degree murder and armed criminal action. Disputes between the defense and prosecution over discovery account for the delay in going to trial.
According to Law&Crime, Judge Laura Johnson originally denied Dedmon bond because she believed Dedmon potentially presented a “grave danger” to the community.
“The evidence is that Defendant possessed a loaded gun on the square in Ozark outside a busy restaurant, and that gun was discharged three to four times, resulting in the victim’s death,” Johnson wrote in the decision. “This put everyone on the square in grave danger.”
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“There was evidence that this conduct was out of character for Defendant, which causes concern about Defendant’s decision-making and judgment,” Johnson added.
