Lonnie Williams owes the remainder of his natural-born life to the Missouri Department of Corrections for the vicious 2019 murder of 19-year-old MacKenna Milhon.
Then-Greene County Circuit Judge Becky Borthwick tacked on an additional 100 years to Williams’ life sentence following the Springfield man’s 2021 first-degree murder and armed criminal actions convictions, a decision that came after hearing a heart-wrenching victim impact statement from Milhoun’s mother, Rachel Crook.
Crook’s civil attorney, former Greene County assistant prosecutor Amanda Johnson, recently put together a convincing wrongful death case to help make sure Williams also monetarily paid for the damage he had caused.
In what appears to be a landmark jury verdict in Greene County, a jury awarded a $50 million verdict against Williams on Jan. 16 for the pain and suffering Milhon endured during the brutal act, as well as Crook’s life-changing grief.
Johnson, who now works at Springfield-based Donelan Law, told the News-Leader she was told the lofty judgement is the highest in Greene County history.