A St. James man has been given two life sentences for murder in the second degree and assault in the first degree for a double stabbing that left one man dead and another seriously injured. Both charges are class A felonies.

Joseph Duane Snow, 35, entered guilty pleas in the case last November. He will serve his sentences out consecutively.

Circuit Judge William Hickle handed down both life sentences following an extensive sentencing hearing, which took place in two parts.

On May 9, 2023, dispatchers received a call reporting a stabbing, which officers learned occurred in the 600 block of Saint David Street in St. James.

“Officers quickly determined that two individuals had been stabbed inside the residence,” the probable cause statement said. “Officers determined that Luke Moreland (age 49) was dead as a result of multiple stab wounds and Jeffrey Pitts (age 44) was alive but suffering from multiple stab wounds. Preliminary information indicates Moreland was stabbed at least eight times. Pitts was stabbed at least nine times.”

An argument had taken place at the residence between the three men, investigators found. Witnesses identified Snow as the assailant and told law enforcement he had fled the scene. 

According to the statement, Snow was arrested the same day following a brief search and later admitted to investigators that he had stabbed both victims during the altercation.

The case was handled by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the St. James Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

“We are encouraged with the message these sentences send, both to the victims and loved ones for their loss, as well as the community as a whole that this sort of senseless violence will not be tolerated in Phelps County,” Prosecutor Taylor Banholzer said in a statement.