By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com
CASSVILLE, Mo. — Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for David Spears and Chris Collings, charged in the rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford last November.
Johnnie Cox, prosecutor of Barry County, filed notice with the court Monday that he plans to seek the death penalty for Spears, 25, of Stella, and Collings, 32, of Wheaton. Spears was Rowan’s stepfather.
The girl disappeared in November from her home in Stella. Her body was found days later in a sinkhole near Powell in McDonald County. Authorities believe she was killed in Barry County.
Cox said filing notice with the court that he will seek the death penalty for both defendants if they are convicted is “a step in the process that the state is required to do. There must be a reasonable amount of time before the trial to notify the defense that we will seek the death penalty.”
In addition, Cox filed a notice of statutory aggravating circumstances, which also is required by law when a prosecutor seeks the death penalty.
Said Cox: “To be able to seek the death penalty, you have to prove certain aggravating circumstances in the case. The law lays out several statutory requirements. You have to tell the defense which ones you intend to prove. We intend to prove three of them for each defendant.”
Both men have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, forcible rape and statutory rape.
Prosecutors say both men have confessed to the crimes, but authorities are trying to reconcile discrepancies between their accounts.
Both men were bound over to the trial division of Barry County Circuit Court after waiving their preliminary hearings. Bond amounts have not been set for either man.
Investigators believe Rowan was abducted early Nov. 3 from her home in Stella in Newton County, raped and murdered in Barry County, and her body disposed of in McDonald County.
Death row
The last person to receive the death penalty in Barry County was Cecil Clayton, who was charged in 1996 with killing a Barry County deputy sheriff. He is now on death row.
Local News
Prosecutor wants death penalty for Stella girl’s accused killers
- Local News
-
-
City wants to buy weather radios for those without
Phil Jones had been working on a construction project outside his house all day on May 22 and was unaware that a tornado watch had been issued. Once he was inside, though, his weather radio went off, and he learned that a warning had been issued.
-
Two teens die from shooting in Delaware County
Two teenagers died from wounds sustained in a shooting Thursday afternoon east of Afton.
-
Nixon fills spots on university governing boards
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed people to the governor boards for several universities.
-
Kansas House GOP issues tax plan
House Republican leaders are proposing a plan to cut Kansas income taxes, removing one key objection to an earlier proposal from Gov. Sam Brownback.
-
Proposed Kan. abortion ban blocked by abortion foe
An influential anti-abortion legislator is blocking the push for a ban on abortion in the Kansas Constitution, highlighting a split among abortion opponents over tactics and frustrating the group advocating the “personhood” proposal Friday.
-
Cold air headed this way
The Arctic front that passed over Missouri this morning will bring dangerously cold temperatures to the region tonight and Saturday.
-
Miami, Okla., man dies along I-44
A 27-year-old Miami, Okla., who appeared to be walking along I-44 in an attempt to get help after wrecking his car, is dead after being hit by a pickup truck.
-
Mike Pound: One man in America wants his robo call
I like to think I have pretty thick skin. If I didn’t, all the emails I get with the subject lines that read “Hey moron” would bother me. But they don’t, so I do.
-
Mo. presidential primary sets low mark in turnout
Just 8 percent of Missouri’s registered voters cast ballots in this week’s presidential primary.
-
Okla. court upholds man’s life sentence in deaths
An Oklahoma appeals court has upheld the life in prison sentences of a man convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the shotgun slayings of two men at a Sperry residence.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
