KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The woman charged with murder in the March 2018 death of a Clinton, Missouri, police officer will spend the next two decades in jail.
A Henry County judge sentenced Tammy Widger, 38, to 20 years in prison for second-degree murder and seven years in prison for possession of a controlled substance in Officer Ryan Morton’s death.
Morton, who was 30 when he was killed in the line of duty, and two other officers who were injured in the incident were among the law enforcement personnel responding to a 911 call that actually originated nearly 20 miles away.
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Two women could be heard screaming when the call was received by Henry County dispatchers around 9:20 p.m.
The call originated in Windsor, Missouri, but an unexplained system error sent Morton and other responding officers to the address in Clinton, where Widger and James Waters resided.
When officers arrived, Widger opened the door and said nothing was wrong, but officers were required to check due to the nature of the 911 call.
Upon entering a hallway at the residence, Waters opened fire on the officers, striking and killing Morton, an eight-year veteran with the Missouri Army National Guard who returned to the Clinton police force after the death of another officer.
Waters had a lengthy criminal record, which included drug and weapons charges, and was suspected in an ongoing rape investigation. He also died during the incident.
Widger initially pleaded not guilty before prosecutors filed enhanced charges. She changed her plea to guilty in August.
