Lawson
An Edinburgh woman is facing an attempted murder charge in a refiled criminal case stemming from a shooting in Morgantown last year.
Miranda Diane Lawson, 20, formerly of Morgantown, is charged with aiding in attempted murder, a Level 1 felony; aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony; two counts of pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony; and false informing, a Class A misdemeanor. Lawson was taken into custody on Thursday.
Lawson is charged in connection to a shooting in Morgantown on Aug. 7, 2022, that injured a Morgantown man. Prosecutors say Lawson was with Nicholas Robert Saunders, 19, of Elizabethtown, when he allegedly shot the man. Saunders was charged last August with attempted murder, a Level 1 felony; aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony; and two counts of pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony.
Lawson had initially been charged last year with false informing, a misdemeanor, for her role in the shooting. However, that case was dismissed on July 6 after prosecutors objected to a plea agreement that was filed.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office ultimately decided to refile the charges after they received new evidence and reevaluated the case. The previous charges were filed under a different administration, Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in a statement.
“After obtaining additional evidence and a reassessment of the case, this administration determined that in the interests of justice, Ms. Lawson’s charges should be substantially upgraded. This office has worked closely with law enforcement to achieve this,” Hamner said.
The use of Lawson’s vehicle in the crime, Lawson allegedly driving the vehicle to the home where the shooting occurred and her allegedly having “bad intentions” that indicated she wanted a confrontation are cited as factors for the new charges. Another factor was her “lengthy attempt” to conceal information about the incident until Saunders told her he was telling investigators the truth, according to a copy provided to the Daily Journal of the amended probable cause affidavit.
Initial investigation
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office first began investigating after 911 dispatchers received a call that a man had been shot multiple times at a home on the 6700 block of S. County Road 800 West in Morgantown in the evening hours of Aug. 7, 2022. The caller said that those involved had already left the scene.
A female witness told police that they were unloading a vehicle with the man when a dark blue vehicle drove by the home on three occasions honking and yelling. During the last occasion, the vehicle pulled into the driveway and two people — Saunders and Lawson — exited the car, according to the affidavit.
When Saunders exited the vehicle, he allegedly said “I got a gun” before opening fire at the witness and the man. Both Saunders and Lawson then fled the scene. The man survived his gunshot wounds, the affidavit says.
Deputies found Lawson at a home in Morgan County, and a witness told police that both Saunders and Lawson were both there at one point after the shooting. They later located Saunders, who was formerly of Morgantown, at a home in Elizabethtown in Jennings County.
Lawson told deputies she had not left the home all night, and said she had previously been in a relationship with both Saunders and the man. However, Lawson gave statements that were not consistent with the evidence detectives had found, the affidavit shows.
At one point, Lawson said had been at the Morgantown home to obtain her property when the shooting began. While there, Lawson and a female witness had a verbal altercation while the man was holding a bag of her property, the affidavit says.
Lawson said the man eventually became involved, and later told deputies that she heard gunshots but did not see any guns or weapons on anyone involved. Lawson said that she saw the man and the witness fall to the ground, so she and Saunders fled in her car, according to the affidavit.
She also said that she was involved with the man romantically. Detectives also determined there was a love triangle between Lawson, the female witness and the man, the affidavit shows.
Detectives showed Lawson witness statements and photos on FLOCK cameras of her vehicle and license plate away from the residence, and she allegedly refused to give a plausible explanation for the inconsistencies found. She also refused to show detectives her location history for the evening.
After she was taken to the Johnson County jail, Lawson continued to give contradictory statements. Investigators say her refusal to assist them caused more than 30 officers to be substantially hindered for more than six hours, consuming a large amount of manpower, according to the affidavit.
Lawson eventually recanted the false statements and admitted to lying after Saunders informed her he had told detectives about the shooting and where the gun involved was located. Lawson reportedly said she lied because she was scared of getting caught where someone was shot, the affidavit shows.
New charges
As detectives began to reevaluate the evidence they found, they found a 911 call where the caller said the shooter was unknown but Lawson was involved and her vehicle was used to get away. Without the vehicle, the incident never would have happened, the affidavit says.
Investigators say Lawson allegedly brought the shooter partially there and then fled with him in an attempt to conceal the shooting. Lawson could have gotten medical assistance or rendered first aid to the wounded man at the scene, but fled instead.
Both Saunders and Lawson agreed that Lawson had initially been driving her car to the Morgantown home, which was corroborated by Lawson’s phone and FLOCK license plate cameras. Investigators also found messages on Snapchat where Lawson said she planned to “cause harm” at the home.
In the messages sent on Aug. 5, 2022, and Aug. 6, 2022, Lawson referred to the man’s wife in derogatory terms. She later texted, “I’m going over there now … I can’t take it … she has disrespected me for the last time.”
Lawson also messaged the man and asked him if he planned on leaving his wife. During the conversation, the man said he was sorry and that he was staying with his wife. In response, Lawson allegedly said, “Your [sic] gonna be.”
A message allegedly sent by Lawson on Aug. 7, 2022, confirmed Lawson’s statement that she lied to police for hours. In the message, she says someone was shot and the police thought she was involved. She also said they were at her house, the affidavit says.
