Court rejects Joseph Elledge murder conviction appeal

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man convicted of killing his wife and dumping her body in a wooded area lost his appeal Tuesday.

Judge Thomas N. Chapman of the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals rejected Joseph Elledge's argument that the evidence at trial was not enough to support a conviction because it didn't show that he killed his wife, only how she died.

Elledge appealed his conviction last September for second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Mengqi Ji.

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.

"A pathologist testified that Victim’s death was caused by another person. Based on the evidence in the record, the jury could certainly find that Elledge was that person," Chapman wrote in his opinion. "In his own testimony, Elledge acknowledged that he shoved Victim twice, that the second shove was 'very hard,' and that Victim’s head made a 'big thud' when it hit the floor. Elledge then attempted to conceal Victim’s death by loading Victim’s body into the trunk of her car and burying her body in a remote area while spreading lies about her 'disappearance.' The jury could find from such conduct that Elledge caused Victim’s death."

The case brought heavy local attention, as searchers look for Ji's body for months before it was finally found by a hiker.