Probation violation filed against accused killer of Carthage couple

Two capital murder charges are apparently considered a probation violation in the state of Missouri.

Barton County Circuit Court online documents indicate a violation report against Darren Winans, 21, Jasper, who is charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of burglary in connection with the Oct. 11, 2008, murders of Bob and Ellen Sheldon, Carthage, was filed July 8.

Winans was placed on probation for five years by Barton County Circuit Court Judge Charles Curless after pleading guilty to stealing a car. As I have noted in earlier posts, Winans has violated the terms of his probation time after time and except for a four-month stay in prison last year (after Jasper County Judge Richard Copeland agreed to a plea arrangement that allowed a felony drug count against Winans to be changed to a misdemeanor, gave him a suspended sentence, and placed him on unsupervised probation for one year) Winans has never had to suffer any consequences for the violations.

From the July 15 Turner Report:

When Winans has his preliminary hearing later this month it will before Jasper County Circuit Court Judge Richard Copeland, the same man who let him walk on a probation violation in May 2008.

Court records indicate that on March 13, 2008, Copeland approved a plea bargain with Winans that reduced a felony drug crime, committed while Winans was on probation, to a misdemeanor charge of use of drug paraphernalia, and allowed him to have unsupervised probation. The arrest in the case was made by the Jasper Police Department.

The unsupervised probation was “unsuccessfully completed,” according to court records.

After the slap on the hand from Judge Copeland, Barton County Judge Charles Curless revoked Winans’ probation and sentenced him to five years in prison, subject to 120-day callback on March 21, 2008.

After the four months in prison, Judge Curless ordered Winans released. Less than three months later, Robert and Ellen Sheldon were dead.

Even after the murders, Winans provided ample reason for a judge to revoke his probation.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department finally arrested Winans July 1 on the theft charge that eventually broke the murder case open, but Winans could have been nailed for another probation violation in May, according to court records.
On May 27, another Jasper County judge, Stephen Carlton, issued a protection order against Winans under the Child Protection Act. While that does not necessarily mean Winans committed a crime, the fact that he was on probation for a felony would indicate it was well worth looking into.