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Lawyer says Missouri man thought his mom was intruder when he shot, killed her

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OLIVETTE, Mo. — A 25-year-old Missouri man has been charged with shooting and killing his mother as she tried to enter the back door of their home.

Jaylen Johnson's attorney, William Goldstein, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Johnson believed his mother was an intruder when she tried to enter the home in the St. Louis suburb of Olivette around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

Olivette police said 56-year-old Monica McNichols-Johnson died at the house even though Johnson's girlfriend tried to help her after she was shot.

Goldstein said the 25-year-old Johnson immediately called 911 after he shot his mother, and he has been distraught ever since.

“He hasn’t stopped crying,” Goldstein said.

Prosecutors charged Johnson with manslaughter and armed criminal action, and his bail was set at $100,000.

Johnson is a former college football player who is employed and has no criminal history. Goldstein said Johnson kept a gun for protection after having been robbed at gunpoint before.

If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.