Former probation officer accused of strangling wife applies for public defender

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of killing his wife and leaving the body at a Kingdom City hotel dumpster appeared in court on Tuesday.

Jonathan Guthrie Houston, 44, is charged in Callaway County with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond.

Houston is accused of killing his wife of 17 years in late 2025. He allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he killed the woman after one of his children called authorities on Sunday. He allegedly dumped the woman's body in a dumpster after killing her, court documents claim.

A hearing was held on Tuesday and Houston appeared without counsel, court filings show. He is applying for a public defender and a bond appearance hearing was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.

The Department of Corrections confirmed in an email that Houston have worked as a probation and parole officer in Columbia from 2018-21, and then worked as a case manager at Jefferson City Correctional Center from December 2023-October 2024.