Brixey man sentenced to 15 years for killing woman in 1989

On June 30, 1989, 24-year-old Kelli Ann Workman was reported missing from the church cemetery at Dogwood Hill near Seymour. She was found murdered several days later in Christian County. 

Exactly 36 years later, to the day, of Workman’s disappearance, 64-year-old Brixey resident Leonard “Dwight” Banks pleaded guilty by Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter involving Workman’s death. The plea was made before Judge Bill Hickle in Phelps County Circuit Court, where the case was transferred on a change of venue at the request of the defendant. The plea was made pursuant to a plea agreement with Douglas County Prosecutor Matthew Weatherman, in which the charge was amended from the original charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape, all class A felonies, in exchange for the Alford guilty plea. 

An Alford plea means that Banks is not necessarily admitting the crime, but he believes the evidence would convince a jury of his peers to find him guilty, which could lead to a stiffer penalty than the charge and sentencing offered in the plea agreement. The Webster County Citizen reported in 2024, that the prosecutor extended the plea agreement with the condition that Banks turn state’s evidence and testifies against his brother, Bobby Banks, and another man charged, Wiley Belt. 

He was sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, the maximum amount of time allowed for the amended manslaughter charge.

In Missouri, voluntary manslaughter is differentiated from murder in that it is a “heat of passion” crime, in which a person is suddenly provoked, in circumstances that are likely to provoke many reasonable people, and that person kills another in the heat of passion aroused by the event that provoked them.

The case had been investigated by numerous agencies over the years, which led to Banks and his brother, Bobby Banks, being investigated as suspects early on. However, prosecutors have said there was never enough evidence to charge them. Then, a witness reportedly came forward in 2024 provided a missing piece of information that allowed officers to make arrests in the case. That information came in the form of a provided  statement, given to Christian County Detective Kevin Turpin and Division of Social Service Investigator Chis Hollis.

As a result, Bobby and Dwight Banks were indicted by a Douglas County grand jury on Feb. 20, 2024, and both subjects were arrested the next day. They’ve remained incarcerated ever since. 

In a Facebook post announcing the sentencing, Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase thanked Douglas County Prosecutor Matthew Weatherman, Detective Turpin, Investigator Hollis, the witness who was brave enough to come forward and the many friends, family and citizens “who remained vigilant in the pursuit of justice and provided information on this case over the years,” he said. 

“I know this sentence does not bring Kelli back or erase the years of unknowns,” Degase said in his post. “I hope this provides some sense of closure and will allow the family to begin the healing process.” 

Workman was abducted on June 30, 1989, while mowing the Dogwood Cemetery, located about nine miles southeast of Seymour near the intersection of Highway 14 and Highway Z. 

Officers said that although she could not be found, the riding lawn mower she was using was still running, and the keys were still in the ignition of her car. Eight days after her disappearance, authorities found her decomposed body partially submerged in a creek in the Mark Twain National Forest in Christian County. 

Bobby Banks and Wiley Belt are still charged with the original charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and forcible rape. According to the original grand jury indictment, the two Banks brothers and Belt “after deliberation, knowingly caused the death of (Kelle Ann Workman) by striking her with a blunt object.” The indictment also alleges that Workman was forcibly raped and that all three men were involved in her rape.

Bobby Banks is scheduled for a jury trial in Wright County in late summer. Belt is scheduled to appear plea hearing or trial setting Aug. 25.