Jefferson City man charged with murder after woman found dead
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Jefferson City man was accused Tuesday of stabbing the mother of his toddler to death.
Sergio L. Sayles, 36, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, evidence tampering and first-degree stalking. He remains in the Cole County Jail without bond.
A probable cause statement identifies the victim as Jasmine King. Police said in a news release that she was 22.
King's family members told police that Sayles and King had been arguing about child visitation, according to the statement. Sayles had also been carrying a large knife and had threatened King's life, the statement says.
Police found King dead from stab wounds to her head, face, neck, torso and back in her home Monday in the 300 block of West Ashley Street after King's family called police for a well-being check, the statement says. Sayles gave inconsistent stories about where he was Monday afternoon and he denied killing King, according to the statement.
Witness statements and surveillance video connected Sayles to the crime scene, the statement says. Police also recovered the murder weapon and some of Sayles's belongings in a trash bag at McClung Park, where surveillance cameras captured Sayles sitting in his vehicle around the time of King's death, according to the statement.
Neighbors who were home at the time of the stabbing told ABC 17 News they heard noises coming from King's apartment, but didn't think anything of it, as King and Sayles would consistently fight. Other neighbors noted being surprised that a murder had occurred in their community.
When police showed Sayles photos of the crime scene, he became upset and said he was being set up, police say. He has been living in his vehicle, according to the statement.
King had reported a complaint in 2021 for harassment and stalking after saying Sayles had allegedly threatened to shoot her in the face and kill her.
Sayles was previously charged with first-degree harassment in 2021 and first-degree stalking in 2022. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for those charges on 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 14, with a jury trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, July 27, according to online court records.
