Jury selection continues in murder trial
Jury selection began Monday in Platte County in the death penalty murder trial of one of two men accused of raping and killing a 9-year-old Stella girl in 2007.
Jury selection for Christopher L. Collings’ trial is continuing and expected to take a week, according to Barry County Prosecuting Attorney Johnnie Cox. Collings, 35, who is accused of raping and killing 9-year-old Rowan Ford, will then go trial in Phelps County on a change of venue from Barry County. Cox has said the trial could last a month.
Last May, a mistrial was declared after attorneys for both the state and the defense couldn’t agree on a jury in Phelps County. Therefore, jury selection was moved to Platte County north of Kansas City. Once a jury is chosen, it will be bused down to Rolla where it will be sequestered for the duration of the trial.
Ford’s body was discovered in a sinkhole in McDonald County nearly a week after she was discovered missing from her Stella home. Her step-father, David Spears, led Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges, a former employer, to the site. Both men looked inside the sinkhole, which is located about 10 miles south of Stella near Mike’s Creek near Powell.
Bridges told the Neosho Daily News he saw some items inside the cavern-like area which raised suspicions, and contacted FBI agents. They, in turn, contacted the McDonald County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies Jake Boles and Mike Hall checked out the sink hole the following morning and discovered the girl’s body about 20 feet below ground.
“I definitely wanted to search the cave and I think, subconsciously, that David did, too. He took me to the cave for some reason,” Bridges said. “I guess his first thought was I used to be the sheriff, and could help. David kept telling me ‘Maybe she’s at a friend’s house.’”
According to Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland, Spears and Collings both confessed to the rape and murder of the child.
“David said he came in, checked Rowan’s room and found she was gone,” said Copeland.
“He said he knew Chris had gotten her and taken her to his house. He got there, and Chris was raping her. He raped her too. Then they thought they would be in trouble, so they killed her and threw her in a hole.”
Spears is set to go to trial late this year in Pulaski County, where it was moved on a change of venue. Jury selection will be held Nov. 5, with pre-trial conferences slated for April 2, Aug. 27 and Sept. 26.
http://www.neoshodailynews.com/news/...n-murder-trial
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