In a horrifying Missouri case, a 33-year-old man named S. Brewer was sentenced to two life terms for the violent murder of his pregnant 27-year-old girlfriend, B. Toalson, and her unborn child.
This unfortunate occurrence occurred in front of Toalson’s three and four-year-old children, highlighting a horrible episode of domestic abuse. Brewer, who pled guilty to two charges of second-degree murder, will do his time in a state prison.
The event happened on August 1, 2023, when sheriff’s officers were summoned to a house for a suspected assault with a weapon. When they arrived, they found Toalson with a deadly gunshot wound to the head.
She was declared dead at the scene and subsequently discovered to be around four months pregnant. Family members recognized the victim as Toalson. Witnesses and doorbell camera video instantly identified Brewer as the shooter, capturing him departing Toalson’s house with a pistol shortly after the event.
A probable cause affidavit revealed horrifying facts about the altercation that resulted in Toalson’s murder. In a post-Miranda interview, Brewer acknowledged to taking a firearm off a shelf after an altercation with Toalson.
Brewer said that when Toalson disagreed with him, he fired the revolver, shooting her in the head and witnessing her drop and bleed against a wall. Adding to the tragedy, it was revealed that the victim’s two small children were present in the house during the shooting and were located with Brewer when he was arrested.
Brewer also guided detectives to the murder weapon, which he had hidden behind a boulder in a nearby stream bed.
Brewer, who was initially charged with capital murder, made a plea deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to two charges of second-degree murder. This plea resulted in the dismissal of two charges of armed criminal activity and one count of unauthorized possession of a handgun.
Judge H. Jacobs sentenced Brewer to two life terms simultaneously. According to Missouri law, Brewer must serve at least 85% of his 30-year life sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The punishment did not provide closure for all family members. Toalson’s mother was disappointed with the plea agreement, telling local media that she had hoped for the death penalty or a life term without the chance of parole.
She questioned Brewer’s conduct during the sentence, pointing out his lack of apologies and obvious regret. Toalson’s relative mirrored same thoughts, highlighting Brewer’s apparent apathy and lack of sorrow for the crime.
The family also emphasized Brewer’s history of domestic abuse, which includes accusations filed against him in 2019 and 2021, highlighting a vicious pattern of conduct that resulted in this horrific crime.
The case has left a town in grief, as well as a family dealing with the death of a loved one under the most horrible circumstances. Local officials and the justice system have committed to continue treating domestic abuse with the seriousness it deserves, in the hopes of preventing such tragedies in the future.
