Missouri man accused in Chinese wife’s death set for trial

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial of a Missouri man charged with killing his Chinese wife. Joseph Elledge, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 28-year-old wife, Mengqi Ji. Elledge reported his wife missing in October 2019, prompting numerous searches before her body was found in March in a remote area of Rock Bridge State Park near Columbia. Prosecutors have suggested that Elledge strangled or suffocated his wife to avoid a divorce and to prevent her from fleeing to China with their young daughter. Ji earned a master’s degree at the University of Missouri after coming to the country from China.