A Festus-area man who allegedly was beaten with a metal pipe by a neighbor has died.
Michael Huffman, 68, died Oct. 3 at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City.
His neighbor, Dale Elmer Edwards, 75, allegedly attacked Huffman on Sept. 17 near their homes on Ivy Lane west of Festus.
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski said today (Oct. 6) that her office anticipates filing a charge against Edwards for second-degree murder, a class A felony.
Huffman’s daughter, Jackie Huffman, 30, said she’s glad to hear Edwards will be charged with murder.
“He deserves no less than that,” she said.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office already had charged Edwards with first-degree assault on a special victim, a class A felony, and armed criminal action, an unclassified felony.
A class A felony is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and armed criminal action is punishable by at least three years in prison.
Edwards was denied bond on Sept. 28, and as of today, he was being held in the Jefferson County Jail.
On Sept. 17, Huffman allegedly saw Edwards taking pictures of his house and confronted him and the two began arguing, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Edwards allegedly struck Michael Huffman in the midsection with a walking stick and then struck him on the head with a metal pipe. While Michael Huffman was on the ground, Edwards allegedly hit his neighbor about 20 more times with the pipe, the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office couldn’t find Edwards until about 11 a.m. the next day, after a woman called 911 to report Edwards started yelling at her while she was bringing her trash cans in from the end of her driveway, Bissell said.
The woman said Edwards threatened to “do to her what he did to the (other) victim” before authorities arrived, the report said.
When deputies arrived at Edwards’ home, he allegedly refused to answer his door and called 911 and told the dispatcher that if deputies didn't stop knocking on his door, he would start shooting at them, Bissell said.
The Sheriff’s Office’s negotiators and SWAT team members set up near the home, and about 12 hours later, Edwards came out of the home and was arrested without further incident.
Jackie said her father suffered a heart attack as a result of the alleged assault and then developed pneumonia because fluid had seeped into his lungs.
She said her father’s injuries also included two broken ribs and bruises on his face, arms and legs.
“This whole situation is so messed up,” Jackie said. “No one would ever expect to go through something like this, and I would never wish this on anyone. To have a family member, not just die, but be murdered. He was murdered by a neighbor we have lived next to for 30 years.
“This should never have happened. My father was supposed to live longer, and now he is gone. We are heartbroken.”
Jackie and her son, Parker Huffman, 1, live with Jackie’s mother, Dale Huffman.
Her parents have four other children: Julie Huffman-McCarver, Jana Huffman, Jim Huffman, and Joe Huffman, plus five grandchildren.
“(Michael Huffman) died at 1:39 p.m. (Oct. 3),” Jackie said. “We all got to go up and see him. I don’t have words to describe how I’m feeling. I have so many emotions running through me. I’m so sad, and I’m so angry this guy was not already in prison for all of the other things he has done.”
Jackie has set up a GoFundMe page called “My Father’s Hospital Bills” to help cover medical costs, and as of Tuesday afternoon, it had brought in $4,650 toward the $5,000 goal.
“It’s amazing,” Jackie said. “After everything that has happened, it shows me there are good people with hearts. I can’t begin to express my gratitude.”
The Sept. 17 incident reportedly was at least the second time Edwards had a dispute with a neighbor this year, according to authorities.
In February, a woman reportedly confronted Edwards, accusing him of looking into her child’s bedroom window while the child was getting dressed. The woman said Edwards pulled out a gun, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger while they were arguing. Edwards told deputies he pointed the gun in the air, not at the woman, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
On Aug. 7, Edwards was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony, stemming from the February incident, court records show.
The class E felony carries a penalty of up to four years in prison.
Edwards also has been charged with four felonies for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on Aug. 30.
The day after the alleged assault, a Sheriff’s Office detective interviewed a woman at Mercy Hospital Jefferson, and she claimed Edwards had sexually assaulted her at his home on Ivy lane, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
The woman, who had been in a relationship with Edwards, said he made a sexual advance towards her, and she ran into a back bedroom but before she could close the room’s door, Edwards allegedly forced his way in and grabbed a gun from under the bed’s mattress, the report said.
Edwards then allegedly hit the woman several times in the head with the gun and pointed the gun at her and said, “Do you want to die?” He then allegedly choked the woman, according to the report.
After the alleged assault, the woman was able to get a ride home and called authorities. She had a bruise and cut around her right eye and a cut on the top left side of her head, the report said.
On Sept. 28, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Edwards with two counts of second-degree domestic assault, class D felonies, unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony, and armed criminal action in connection with the incident.
A class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison, a class E felony carries a penalty of up to four years in prison and the armed criminal action charge carries a penalty of at least three years in prison.