A Baptist pastor in Missouri has been granted $30,000 bond, after spending two years in jail on a first-degree murder charge, according to court records. The pastor, Matthew Dedmon, allegedly shot his wife’s lover, police told local news outlets.

Dedmon is the former pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Rogersville, Missouri. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder on May 29, 2022.

Until now, he has been held without bond because of the “seriousness” of the charge. However, on Oct. 1, a judge granted Dedmon a $30,000 bond, provided he wear a GPS monitoring device and remain on house arrest.

Dedmon allegedly shot 57-year-old Joe Newburn multiple times in the chest, after spotting his wife and the victim at a restaurant near a historic courthouse in Ozark, Missouri, police told KY3 News. Dedmon had suspected that Newburn was having an affair with his wife.

Newburn died from his injuries the following day, police reported. Investigators later found the gun behind the shooting in Dedmon’s truck.

Additionally, police told OzarksFirst that several witnesses saw Dedmon go into the restaurant to confront his wife and Newburn.

Newburn was a father of five and a car enthusiast, according to his obituary. He “has always been the guy next door that everyone wanted to know” who could “build a hot rod as if he someday would be in Nascar.”

“What a big loss,” one person commented on the police’s Facebook statement. “Joe was a good friend to me the last seven years. No one deserves to be shot down in broad daylight. I can’t wrap my head around this.”

Dedmon’s request for bond initially denied

Dedmon, now age 49, was arrested the day after the shooting and placed in jail with no bond.

In September 2022, about three months after his arrest, Judge Laura Johnson denied Dedmon’s request for bond, stating that Dedmon had put the public in “grave danger” on the day of the shooting.

“There was evidence that this conduct was out of character for Defendant, which causes concern about Defendant’s decision-making and judgment,” she said. “The evidence is that Defendant possessed a loaded gun on the square in Ozark outside a busy restaurant, and that gun was discharged three to four times, resulting in the victim’s death. This put everyone on the square in grave danger.”

The judge acknowledged several factors in favor of granting a bond, including Dedmon’s “family ties; his financial resources; the length of Defendant’s residence in the community: and Defendant’s lack of criminal history.”

But ultimately, she said the “seriousness” of the alleged crime warranted the lack of bond.

While Dedmon has been in jail, his attorneys and state attorneys have been engaged in an ongoing legal battle over a “motion to endorse” witnesses and evidence for the trial, according to court records.

Last month, Dedmon submitted another request for bond, arguing that the state’s “inexcusable act of late endorsements” violated his rights under Missouri’s constitution.

The request notes that Dedmon will make “no attempt to flee and that he will comply with all bond conditions set forth by this Court.” It cites his lack of criminal history and 35 years living in Missouri. 

When granting Dedmon bond, Judge Johnson said Dedmon “may leave his home only for court appearances and emergency medical attention,” according to court records.

The bond gives Dedmon a potential ticket out of jail. As of Wednesday afternoon, Christian County Jail records did not indicate that the former pastor had been released

Dedmon’s murder trial is scheduled to begin in March 2025, according to court records.

Dedmon’s church, Heritage Baptist, took down its website and Facebook page after his arrest, Oxygen True Crime reported.  At that time, the church was also listed as closed on Google.

The now-open church lists David Dossett as the pastor of the Independent Baptist congregation on its current website. Dossett started working at the church September 2022, the same time the church created its current Facebook page.

The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to Heritage Baptist for comment but did not hear back prior to publication.

Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.