Murder charge downgraded for man accused of killing baby
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Charges have been updated for a man accused of killing his child and abandoning the corpse.
Staffone Fountain, 31, of Independence, was previously charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse.
He is now charged with second-degree murder, abandoning a corpse and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Fountain's attorney confirmed the new charges to ABC 17 News on Friday night.
A superseding indictment was filed on Friday and an arraignment for the new charges is set for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at the Boone County Courthouse.
Fountain is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.
Samone Daniels, who was 4-5 months old, was found dead outside of a tire store in 2019. The child was killed after they were allegedly strangled by Fountain.
Former Columbia Police Department Chief Geoff Jones said in June 2022 that the baby died two years before her remains were discovered.
The mother of the child, Lavosha Daniels, 31, is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and abandonment of a corpse. She is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
A hearing for Daniels is set for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28.
