First-Degree Murder Charges Refiled in Resurrected Lincoln County Homicide Case
- John Eads
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
MOSCOW MILLS, Mo. — Seven years after a fatal dispute over a backyard woodpile, the case of the State of Missouri vs. Russell Morgan Woods has taken a sudden and dramatic turn. The case—which traces back to the 2019 shooting death of Brian Fredde—has re-emerged on the court docket with newly refiled charges of First-Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action.
This unexpected legal surge follows a recent move by Woods to have his seized property returned by the court, a motion that was ultimately denied by the judiciary. Immediately following that decision, prosecutors submitted a brand-new complaint and statement of probable cause, officially restarting the legal process as a premeditated murder offense. The state's new filing introduces witness statements alleging that Woods had openly discussed wanting to kill his brother-in-law prior to the shooting.
Russell Morgan Woods, Moscow Mills, Missouri
Charges:
Murder 1st Degree
Armed Criminal Action
In direct response to the new charges, the defense immediately went on the offensive. A flurry of rapid-fire motions were filed, including a Request for a Speedy Trial, a demand for full evidence disclosure, and a formal Notice of Intent to Use Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine. The sudden legal friction triggered an immediate shakeup at the bench, with the presiding judge signing an official recusal and abruptly stepping down, transferring the entire case to a newly assigned judge.
To understand the weight of these newly refiled charges, the story traces back to the afternoon of July 4, 2019, on Hill Street, where a long-standing dispute over a backyard woodpile boiled over. The core of the case rests on home surveillance footage, which both sides view through radically different lenses. The state alleges that after an argument over the woodpile, an unarmed Fredde stepped out of his vehicle on a gravel roadway near the home. Prosecutors argue the video shows Woods walking out onto his front porch, shouting derogatory remarks, concealing a pistol behind his back, and smiling before deflecting a push from Fredde and firing a single, fatal shot into his chest.
Conversely, the defense presents a starkly different portrait of that afternoon, maintaining that Woods acted entirely in self-defense to protect his home and his one-year-old child inside. Defense filings emphasize that Woods ran outside so quickly he was missing a sock, confronting an individual who toxicology reports later revealed had high levels of methamphetamine in his system—a detail the defense argues induced a violent psychosis in Fredde.
Despite the severity of the newly refiled First-Degree Murder charges, Russell Morgan Woods is not currently in police custody. Because the state’s new filings represent a completely fresh criminal complaint rather than an active continuation of the old, dismissed docket, an arrest warrant or summons has not yet been publicly served. With the state filing a new request for bond alongside the charges, the newly assigned judge will now have to determine the next steps, leaving the community to look at the shifting timeline and draw their own conclusions.
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All individuals referenced in this investigative report are presumed innocent of any criminal wrongdoing unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The refusal of a special prosecutor to file criminal charges means no convictions or formal allegations exist regarding this incident.
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