A jury has convicted a 33-year-old Sturgeon man of voluntary manslaughter in the 2025 shooting death of his father, rejecting prosecutors' push for a murder conviction but still finding him criminally responsible for the killing. Dalton Perkins was also found guilty of one count of armed criminal action and illegal gun possession, while jurors acquitted him of first-degree domestic assault and a second armed criminal action charge.
The verdict came just before 10 p.m. local time, according to ABC 17 News, capping a trial that began Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Columbia and was initially expected to wrap in two days. Perkins had originally been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree domestic assault and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of his father, Steven Perkins, a 56-year-old who died in May 2025.
Perkins lived in a separate house on his parents' property, according to the Columbia Missourian, which reported ahead of trial that he planned to argue self-defense in the shooting. Guns were commonly left outside the gun safe in his parents' home office, a detail that became part of the backdrop to the night the argument turned deadly.
An Argument That Escalated Fast
According to trial testimony reported by ABC 17 News, the night began with Perkins turning down music he was playing in the sunroom after both of his parents complained. He testified that he skipped dinner afterward to keep his distance, and that his father's approach later that evening rubbed him the wrong way. An argument broke out, and Perkins testified that he unintentionally pushed his mother, causing her to fall.
Perkins testified that his father then tackled him face-first to the floor and placed him in a chokehold. He said he could not breathe and thought he was going to die. He told jurors he saw his father run toward the room where a shotgun — one he'd had out for a planned turkey hunt — was located, prompting him to grab a different gun off the refrigerator and fire it after hearing a loud noise, which he described as accidental.
Mother's Testimony and the Defendant's Own Account
Perkins took the stand on the third day of his trial and became emotional during his testimony, telling jurors he had warned his parents they were trying to kill him. His mother testified a day earlier, on Thursday, about the events of the shooting, telling the court that her son said to her, “I just shot your husband,” in the moments afterward.
The Columbia Missourian reported that both sides had wrapped their presentations by Thursday, setting up closing arguments and deliberations that stretched the trial into a third day.
From Murder Charge to Manslaughter Verdict
The shooting itself dates back to May 2025 in northern Boone County. KOMU reported that the shooting happened on May 3; Perkins shot his father during an argument. A separate account from KRCG stated that Boone County deputies were called to the scene at 8:15 p.m. and arrested Perkins shortly after.
Jurors ultimately moved the case from an initial second-degree murder charge down to a verdict of voluntary manslaughter, one armed criminal action count and illegal gun possession, while clearing Perkins of the domestic assault charge and a second armed criminal action count. Under Missouri law, armed criminal action covers committing a felony with the use, assistance or aid of a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon, according to the Missouri Revised Statutes.
Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, according to the report from ABC 17 News.
