Lawyers for Joseph Elledge file new requests in both cases

Joseph Elledge sits in a Boone County courtroom Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Elledge was in court for a hearing in a child abuse case. He is also charged with murder in his wife's disappearance. — From KRCG pool video

January 12, 2022 5:20 PM

Published January 12, 2022 1:50 PM

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The legal team for Joseph Elledge has filed new motions in both of his criminal cases.

According to court documents obtained by ABC 17 News, his lawyers have filed an appeal with the Missouri Court of Appeals. A jury found Elledge guilty in November of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Mengqi Ji.

Elledge reported Ji missing in October 2019. A hiker later found her remains at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park in March.

A Boone County judge sentenced Elledge to 28 years in prison on Jan. 7.

Different lawyers for Elledge also asked the judge assigned to his child abuse case to recuse itself. Elledge's attorneys argue the court heard details about the child abuse allegations during his murder trial. Attorneys John and Patrick O'Connor said this affected Judge Brouck Jacobs' impartiality to oversee the child abuse case.

According to public court records, Jacobs recused himself from the case on Wednesday. Judge Kevin Crane will reassign the case to another judge.

Article Topic Follows: Elledge case

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Zachary Farwell