Joseph Elledge appeals 28-year sentence for wife Mengqi Ji’s murder
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Joseph Elledge appealed his murder conviction Tuesday in a 67-page filing that argues there wasn't enough evidence to convict him.
A jury found Elledge guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his wife Mengqi Ji in November. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
On the first day of the trial, Elledge admitted to killing Ji but said it was an accident. Elledge said he pushed her and she hit her head and suffered a subdural hematoma in her sleep. The state argued Elledge killed Mengqi Ji in cold blood because she was having an affair.
Elledge's appeal says the state failed to prove or present any proof of Ji's cause or manner of death and that the state failed to prove Elledge killed her in sudden passion or with deliberation.
Medical examiners were unable to provide a cause of death because of the decomposed state of Ji's body. The state said due to a missing neck bone in Ji's remains, they believe Elledge strangled her.
The appeal goes over the hours of audio recordings in which Elledge would verbally abuse Ji. It mentions that Elledge lied about knowing Ji was killed and how she was killed but that does not prove he planned to kill her.
The Attorney General's Office, which responds to the appeal, declined to comment Tuesday.
