Man Convicted of 2014 Killing in Poplar Bluff

A 35-year-old Moberly man will be sentenced in May after being found guilty of murder in the death of a Poplar Bluff man.

A Butler County jury deliberated only 38 minutes on Thursday before convicting Curtis Walker of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and burglary in the death of 48-year-old Salvador Ruiz Ramirez. His body was found on the southern banks of the Black River in October 2014.

Authorities said he was shot twice in the head. After the body was found, authorities discovered Ramirez's home had been burglarized and set on fire.

Walker admitted he killed Ramirez but said it was in self-defense.