Columbia homicide suspect who barricaded himself at Forest Village had lengthy criminal history

The Columbia Highlands homicide suspect who apparently shot and killed himself during a long standoff Tuesday night had served several stints in prison.

939 the Eagle News has reviewed 32-year-old Jermaine Montez Burnett’s record on the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) website. Burnett first entered prison at the age of 19 in 2009 and served time at the maximum-security Potosi and Jefferson City Correctional Centers for crimes like second degree robbery, felonious restraint, tampering with a victim. Burnett also had prior convictions for violating orders of protection and receiving stolen property.

Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board appears to have paroled Burnett from prison in December. We’ve reached out to DOC spokeswoman Karen Pojmann to get an exact date.

CPD investigators say Burnett died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, after barricading himself in the Forest Village apartments for hours. Our news partner KMIZ reports a nine-hour standoff ended Tuesday evening at about 9, when Burnett was found dead inside the Forest Village apartment complex. Assistant chief Jeremiah Hunter tells KMIZ that police used gas earlier on Tuesday to try to get Burnett out of apartment he barricaded himself in. Police say Burnett fired at them and that they returned fire.

Meantime, CPD has identified the woman shot and killed in Monday’s robbery in the Highlands as 72-year-old Janet Jago, who lived in the 5300 block of East Tayside Circle. Ms. Jago was married to Art Jago, a retired Mizzou professor.