Jefferson City woman accused of Salvation Army arson receives probation
A Jefferson City woman was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to a January 2020 arson.
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Woman denied bond in Benton County child murder case
WARSAW, Mo. (KMIZ) A Benton County judge denied setting a bond for a woman accused of taking part in the death of a toddler. Kourtney Aumen made her second appearance in front of Judge Mark Pilley since her arrest in December. Law enforcement believes she and three others abused 4-year-old Jessica Mast to death late
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Murder trial delayed for Columbia double shooting suspect
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A trial for the suspect accused of killing a teenager in 2019 will once again be moved back. Judge Kevin Crane allowed prosecutors two more weeks to get lab reports from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosions for Javion Lawhorn’s trial. Crane set the trial to start on March 15.
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St. Louis prosecutor seeks to take back McCloskey case
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has asked the Missouri Supreme Court to restore her authority to prosecute a couple accused of wielding guns at racial injustice protesters last summer. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Gardner’s office on Thursday petitioned the state Supreme Court to block a judge’s order disqualifying
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New special prosecutor will be appointed in Columbia officer’s manslaughter case
Attorneys agreed in a court hearing Friday morning that a new special prosecutor will be appointed in a Columbia police officer’s manslaughter case.
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Columbia man faces tampering with witnesses charges in homicide case
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County grand jury has indicted a man accused of trying to hire someone to commit murder. According to court documents, Mehrdad Fotoohighiam trying to pressure witnesses in the case against him to not work with the prosecution. Fotoohighiam now faces two additional charges of tampering or attempted tampering with a
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Missouri judge says public defender waitlist unfair
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge says the wait time for some poor defendants to get legal help is unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Will Hickle in an order said a group of poor defendants likely will succeed in a class-action lawsuit against the state. The defendants’ attorneys say some waited in jail for months before
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Missouri medical marijuana lawyers worry about discipline
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Attorneys who represent medical marijuana clients say they are concerned about possible discipline under a directive issued by the state Supreme Court in June. The directive says attorneys cannot participate in, or advise clients on participating in, anything that is illegal under federal law, even if they are legal under
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Hannah Fizer’s father files wrongful death lawsuit against deputy
SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ) John Fizer, the father of Hannah Fizer, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against deputy Jordan Schutte Wednesday. The deputy killed the 25-year-old during a traffic stop in June. The deputy had told investigators that Fizer said she had a gun in the car and she said she was going to shoot him.
Continue Reading U.S. Attorney in western Missouri submits resignation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison, of the Western District of Missouri, says he will resign, effective Feb. 28. Garrison’s resignation was expected after the U.S. Justice Department and President Joe Biden asked all U.S. attorneys to resign by the end of February so the new administration could begin replacing the political
Continue Reading Slater woman charged with abandoning a corpse
SLATER, Mo. (KMIZ) A Slater woman is accused of abandoning a corpse after a body was found over a month since the person was last seen. According to a probable cause statement, Deseray Heyer is accused of the crime after a woman’s body was found last Wednesday at 242 East Emma Street in Slater. Heyer
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Columbia man sentenced to four years for abandonment of a corpse
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man has been sentenced to prison for abandoning his wife’s body. The Boone County prosecutor’s office says Frank Spencer received a four-year sentence today after he pleaded guilty to abandonment of a corpse. According to court documents, he buried the body of his wife Nikki Lee Boring behind a home
Continue Reading Former Centralia police officer sentenced eight years for trying to have sex with teen
CENTRALIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Former Centralia officer Clint Baer was sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty in October, to try and have sex with a minor. According to a release, Baer began talking to someone he believed to be the mother of a 14-year-old girl through a social networking site. Over the
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Cole County murder suspect wants evidence kept out of trial
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) – The suspect in a 1991 Cole County murder case wants several pieces of evidence left out of a future trial. The requests filed by attorneys for William “Chris” Niemet include leaving out newly-tested evidence for DNA, a 1991 lie detector test and witness statements made about a possible weapon used
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Federal court to hear Cole County child pornography case
A federal court will hear a case involving a Fulton man arrested on multiple counts after a teen found a hidden camera in their bedroom.
Continue Reading Family seeks settlement in fatal Boone County crash
The family of a man that died in an October 2020 motorcycle wreck is seeking a settlement from the insurance company of the person who killed him.
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McKinsey to pay nearly $600 million in settlements over its work with opioid companies
McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms, will pay nearly $600 million in multiple settlements over its work consulting for drug companies that states say fueled the nation’s opioid crisis. McKinsey reached the agreement with a coalition of 47 attorneys general, the District of Columbia and five US territories. The company settled
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Trial date set for Joseph Elledge in Mengqi Ji case
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man accused of killing his wife could head to trial this fall. The jury trial for Joseph Elledge is scheduled to start at the Boone County Courthouse on Nov. 1st. Prosecutors have charged him with first-degree murder in the disappearance of Mengqi Ji. He reported her missing back in October
Continue Reading Missouri graduate to share in invention profits under deal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri graduate who said his professor stole his invention for a drug delivery system will share in its profits under a settlement that also gives the University of Missouri System a cut of the revenue. The Kansas City Star reports that Kishore Cholkar will get at least $1.4 million
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Appeals Court reverses 2019 ruling about guns on MU’s campus and where they can be kept
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A state appeals court has reversed a 2019 ruling about guns on Mizzou’s campus. The ruling now allows employees to bring guns on campus but the weapons must stay in their vehicles and hidden from sight. A University of Missouri professor filed a lawsuit in 2015 after he wanted to keep his
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