Court finds Shannon County murder case was not a crime

An October 2 Order from the Honorable Melissa Stewart in Shannon County Court declares the 2018 drowning death of Robbie Crites was not a crime. A West Plains man, Zachary D. Watson, 32, was charged with second degree murder, alongside two Shannon County residents: Austin Womack and Ronald Brawley, III.

 

The three were charged in February 2026, with court documents presenting multiple witness statements alleging Womack admitted to the murder and implicated Brawley and Watson. 

 

The Court’s order references these witness statements clarifying that Womack made statements to two male witnesses, aged 14 and 15, while at a bonfire at their residence. “The recollection of these boys collectively was that the Defendant stated he punched Robert Crites and knocked him down, then cut him with a fishhook and knocked him into a river.”

 

The case had been ruled an accidental drowning until charges were filed this year.

 

The order references the deposition of a Dr. Tarau, concluding the death was an accidental drowning, and finding no puncture wounds on the body. 

 

“Given the totality of the testimony, depositions, and exhibits, the Court does not find physical evidence that a crime was committed,” reads the order.