Court and Trials Archives

Joseph Elledge set to appear in court Friday

August 20, 2021 5:19 AM Ben Fein

Joseph Elledge is set to appear in a hearing at the Boone County Courthouse, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

Lawsuit seeks to overturn Second Amendment Preservation Act; shows impact on law enforcement agencies

August 18, 2021 8:53 PM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A lawsuit has shed new light on a new Missouri state law on guns about local law enforcements agencies’ ability to enforce federal gun laws. The US Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms filed a memo with those details in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Second Amendment Preservation Act that stops state police

Columbia man found guilty of second-degree murder in December 2019 shooting

August 18, 2021 5:59 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action Wednesday for a December 2019 shooting at the Welcome Inn in Columbia. Kevin J. Lambert shot and killed Marceino Carlous Moore after shooting him in the head. Moore’s body was later discovered in a car in the Welcome Inn

Jefferson City man sentenced to 13 years for receiving child porn

August 11, 2021 7:06 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (KMIZ) A U.S. district judge sentenced a Jefferson City man Wednesday to federal prison for receiving child porn over the internet. Dana Paul Cline, 54, was sentenced to 13 years in prison without parole and ordered to pay a total of $31,000 to several of his victims. Cline pleaded guilty in July

MU settles lawsuit with former track coach over racial discrimination

August 10, 2021 10:52 AM Lucas Geisler

An attorney for Carjay Lyles said the parties settled the lawsuit for $1.1 million just weeks before a lengthy jury trial was set to start.

Lawsuit filed to put Lakeside Ashland project on hold

August 5, 2021 5:40 PM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two people have filed a lawsuit against the City of Ashland, the city administrator and the board of adjustment to stop an entertainment development. The residents say the city’s board of aldermen approved a permit for Lakeside Ashland despite their request to put it on hold. The duo wants the board to

St. Louis man wants his guns back after governor’s pardon

August 5, 2021 4:37 PM Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis lawyer who was pardoned along with his wife for waving guns at social justice demonstrators is suing to get the guns back. Mark McCloskey, a Republican candidate of U.S. Senate, is also seeking to have fines they paid returned. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in St. Louis City

Federal grand jury indicts Holts Summit man for armed robbery

August 4, 2021 11:51 AM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A federal grand jury indicted a Holts Summit man Tuesday for the armed robbery of a Dollar General store in Jefferson City. Tyler Steven Mitchell Williams, 24, was charged with armed robbery and brandishing and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Williams is accused of using a Smith &

Judge allows recordings as evidence in Joseph Elledge murder case

August 3, 2021 10:20 PM Chanel Porter

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Judge Brouck Jacobs will allow recordings of Joseph Elledge as evidence in the upcoming murder trial. Elledge is charged with first degree murder in the death of his wife Mengqi Ji. Judge Jacobs ruled that the recordings are relevant and admissibale. “After a hearing on 7/15/21, the Court took under advisement the

Missouri governor pardons gun-waving St. Louis lawyer couple

August 3, 2021 5:33 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has made good on his promise to pardon a couple who gained notoriety for pointing guns at social justice demonstrators as they marched past the couple’s home last year. The Republican governor announced Tuesday that he pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor

Judge: St. Louis County mask mandate temporarily on hold

August 3, 2021 3:43 PM Associated Press

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A judge has put St. Louis County’s new mask requirement on hold for at least two weeks. Circuit Judge Ellen “Nellie” Ribaudo on Tuesday sided with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt in issuing a temporary restraining order of a mask mandate that was issued by St. Louis County health officials in

Lawsuit over St. Louis mask rules sent back to state court

August 2, 2021 10:29 AM Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge says state courts should handle a lawsuit to overturn St. Louis-area mask mandates. Judge Stephen Clark of the Eastern Missouri U.S. District Court on Sunday sent the case back to state court. Missouri’s Republican attorney general last week filed a lawsuit in state court over the new mask

Judge denies bond for invasion of privacy suspect, calling him a ‘danger to community’

July 28, 2021 11:01 AM Leila Mitchell

A man facing an invasion of privacy charge for the fifth time in a little over two months has a bond hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Missouri to pay about $1 million in federal voting lawsuit

July 28, 2021 3:11 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri has been ordered to pay more than $1 million for not complying with federal voting laws. The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appels this week affirmed an earlier decision to award the cost of attorneys fees in the case. A 2018 lawsuit accused the state of failing to automatically

Columbia man arrested for November shooting

July 23, 2021 10:01 AM Molly Stawinoga

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia police arrested a man in connection with a shots fired incident in November 2020. Prosecutors filed charges against Aaron Jones, 20, on July 14, more than seven months after police say they identified Jones as the suspect in the case. According to court documents obtained by ABC 17 News, police responded

Missouri treasurer sues secretary of state over amendment

July 20, 2021 3:10 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri treasurer is suing the Missouri secretary of state over a proposed constitutional amendment. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick on Monday sued fellow Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. Fitzpatrick is suing over a proposed constitutional amendment that would change how his office invests taxpayer money.

Full federal appeals court to consider Missouri abortion law

July 20, 2021 3:07 PM Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A full federal appeals court panel is rehearing a case over Missouri abortion restrictions. The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals last week decided to take up the case on its own motion. At issue is a 2019 state law to ban abortions as soon as eight weeks into pregnancy and

Joseph Elledge pleads not guilty to three felony charges.

Judge hears arguments on allowing secret recordings as evidence in Joseph Elledge murder case

July 15, 2021 5:28 AM Leila Mitchell

Joseph Elledge was charged in Feb. 2020 with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Mengqi Ji.

Supreme Court of Missouri considers future of Medicaid expansion

July 13, 2021 3:41 AM Lucas Geisler

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri’s highest court will now decide on the future of Medicaid expansion in the state. The court’s seven judges heard arguments Tuesday morning in an appeal of a Cole County court decision ruling the voter-approved expansion unconstitutional. You can listen to the audio of arguments here. A Cole County judge ruled

Settlement approved in Waffle House shooting case

July 13, 2021 11:08 AM Matthew Sanders

Judge Jeff Harris approved the confidential settlement in Boone County court Monday, court records show. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the motion filed last month by A.W. Smith, the lawyer for Anthony Warren’s family, notes that structured settlements are in place for Warren’s three children.