A second-degree murder charge filed against a Winona man in connection with a 2018 drowning death in the Jack’s Fork River has been dropped, according to court records.
Austin D. Womack, 27, of Winona, had his charge dismissed, while cases against co-defendants Ronald D. Brawley III, 31, of Winona, and Zachary D. Watson, 31, of Ozark, remain open.
Brawley, Watson and Womack were each charged in March—nearly eight years after the body of 20-year-old Robbie Crites was recovered on the night of June 16, 2018, in the Jack’s Fork River at Eminence. Crites’ body was found about his parents dropped him off at a fishing spot and about 12 hours after they reportedly saw Brawley and Watson at the same location.
The death was originally ruled accidental.
Statements submitted in court documents leading to the March indictments included accounts from Crites' family provided to investigator Carold Roberts Jr. Other witnesses reported hearing Brawley and Womack admit involvement two days after the incident, alleging Watson was present during a physical altercation between Brawley, Womack and Crites on the day Crites died.
Court records the last action in Brawley’s case occurred in late July, when he waived formal arraignment, entered a not guilty plea and was granted a change of venue. Represented by Special Public Defender Elizabeth Satchell of Springfield, Brawley has been free on a $250,000 bond since late March. No future court appearances are currently scheduled in online records.
Watson also pleaded not guilty and posted a $250,000 bond Sept. 8, court records show. Represented by attorney Stephen Reynolds of St. Louis, Watson is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 20 before 37th Circuit Associate Judge Sandra Brewer.
