By Jeff Lehr

jlehr@joplinglobe.com

A third defendant in a robbery case involving a near-fatal assault with a cue ball changed his plea to guilty Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Eli Jacob Smith, 22, of Carthage, pleaded guilty to the first-degree assault of Christopher Bull in August 2006.

Smith became the third defendant to be convicted of the assault in which Bull was robbed of money and a guitar, beaten unconscious, stuffed in the trunk of a car, and left for dead at the edge of a wooded area near Newman and Travis Acres roads.

Smith pleaded guilty in an agreement with the Jasper County prosecutor’s office that would dismiss a second count of first-degree robbery and limit the prison time he might be required to serve to no more than 15 years.

Denver F. Firgens, 23, of Joplin, accepted the same plea agreement earlier this month and was sentenced by Circuit Judge Gayle Crane to 15 years, with his case to be reviewed for possible consideration of probation after 120 days.

Circuit Judge David Dally on Thursday ordered a sentencing assessment report on Smith and set March 17 as the date for sentencing. The robbery count will be dismissed at the time of sentencing if the judge accepts the plea agreement.

Dally sentenced the first defendant convicted in the case, Chad Spry, 24, of Joplin, to two 15-year terms after jury convictions for robbery and assault. He ordered that the terms run concurrently, but Spry was not granted any review after 120 days served.

Smith also is not guaranteed any 120-day review by his plea agreement.

The crimes

Investigators with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department have said the three men decided to rob Christopher Bull of $300 cash and a guitar he took to a jam session of musicians at the trailer home of Chad Spry and Denver Firgens at 1131 Pinecrest Lane. They were accused of pummeling Bull’s face and body with their fists and a cue ball stuffed in a felt whiskey-bottle pouch until he appeared to them to be dead.