Trial Date Set For Stepfather Of Rowan Ford:

A man from Newton County charged with murder in the death of a little girl that captured the nations attention last November has had tentative trial date of July 2010 set.

David W. Spears (above) and his friend, Chris Collings, are both charged with capital murder for their alleged involvement in the 2007 murder of Spears stepdaughter Rowan Ford.
In November of last year Ford was kidnapped from her bed in Stella. After several days her body was found in a sinkhole in rural McDonald County on a hunch by a sheriffs deputy on his way to work.
In the probable cause statements filed against Spears and Collings, each of them claimed responsibility for Rowan Fords murder.

One of them said that the little girl was killed in Barry County inside of Collings trailer (below,) the other said that Ford was tied to a fence that held goats and killed .

Barry County Prosecutor Johnnie Cox filed a motion with the court on December 3rd asking that pubic hair be collected from Spears and Collings. The prosecution wants those hairs analyzed against one that was found on the little girls body at autopsy. The motion was granted.

Public defenders for Spears asked for a motion of their own....they want their experts to have a looksee at any and all DNA evidence that has the potential of being destroyed while being analyzed by the FBI. Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tracy Storie granted that motion as well.

Spears' trial was moved to Pulaski County on a change of venue.

On the same day the motion for hair evidence was asked for in the trial of Spears, prosecutors asked for the same evidence from Chris Collings (above) as well.

The pubic hair from Collings was to be collected at the Barry County jail on December 11th, where defense attorney's for the man will be present. No date yet on when the evidence will be collected from Spears.

Collings trial is scheduled to begin in Phelps County in January 2010 where it was moved on a change of venue.


https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do
08PU-CR00681-01 - ST V DAVID WESLEY SPEARS

08PH-CR01205 - ST V CHRISTOPHER LEROY COLLINGS