Autopsy scheduled for Missouri prosecutor found dead Saturday; interim appointed
An autopsy for Boone County Prosecutor Dan Knight is scheduled for Tuesday as the police investigation continues into the top lawyer’s death.
The Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct a routine examination and toxicology report of Knight’s body to officially determine the cause and manner of his death, investigator Stacey Huck told The Star on Monday.
Knight, a Democrat first elected as the county’s top prosecutor in 2006, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound at his Columbia home Saturday morning. While police have released little information about the circumstances surrounding his death, Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones told reporters Saturday that foul play was not suspected.
Asked Saturday whether the gunshot was self-inflicted, Jones said, “At this time, it does not appear to be any foul play. We’ll be able to confirm more later.”
Just hours after Knight’s death, Boone County Presiding Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs appointed Knight’s top assistant Nick Komoroski as the interim leader of the office. It remains unclear whether Gov. Mike Parson will appoint a full-time prosecutor to complete Knight’s term. Kelli Jones, Parson’s spokesperson, said Parson has not yet decided.
“The Judges of the 13th Circuit mourn the loss of Dan Knight, who was a dedicated public servant who worked hard for the people of Boone County,” the court wrote in a statement Monday. “He was an excellent lawyer and a good friend to many. He will be missed but his memory will live on.”
Boone County voters already were scheduled to elect a new prosecutor in November. Roger Johnson, a former assistant prosecutor under Knight, will be the only candidate on the ballot. Johnson did not return a call for comment Monday.
Knight announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported. Knight told the newspaper he was “strongly considering” seeking the Boone County Circuit Court judgeship for Division III in 2024.
Before his election as prosecutor, Knight, a Columbia native, served as an assistant prosecuting attorney from 1992 to 1999 and then as first assistant prosecuting attorney from 1999 to 2006.
Knight’s untimely death was met with a wave of reactions from state leaders, including Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who lauded his work ethic.
“I will remember him as the kind, patient and diligent man that he remained through the many years that we served together. RIP,” she posted on Twitter.
Jones, during a Saturday news conference, told reporters the police department’s investigators will work with the Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office to investigate Knight’s death. He offered little information other than that dogs were removed from the home.
The Columbia Police Department did not respond to a list of questions from The Star regarding the investigation.
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 4:20 PM.
