UPDATED: Delay Again In The Lance Shockley Murder Trial Of Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper Dewayne Graham

For Trial Information GO HERE.



UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF STORY:

This case has got me hotter than a wet hen. How long is too long to wait for someone who has been charged with capital murder to stand trial?

In the case of Lance Shockley, who is accused of gunning down Highway Patrol Sergeant Carl "Dewayne" Graham Jr., it will be at least four years before jury selection even begins.

Memories start to fade, evidence is sometimes lost, and witnesses die in cases like this.

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It was a cool afternoon in late March of 2005 when Sgt. Carl "Dewayne" Graham Jr., pulled into his rural driveway near Van Buren after a tough day working as a Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper.

It was about 5:15 that evening, and by all accounts he was excited about the future. He had a beautiful little boy, Hayden, and he was engaged to a wonderful woman, Cathy Crowley, who he was looking forward to spending the rest of his life.

As Graham reached into his backseat to retrieve some work related items, he was ambushed, shot dead, still in his uniform.A passing motorist noticed the highway patrolman lying in his driveway and called 911.

Even though Sgt. Graham had made it to his home at the time of the shooting, the highway patrol considered his death to be in the line of duty, making him the 24th state trooper to die on the job in Missouri.

Graham was born in St. Charles County and graduated from Dexter High School in 1986. He went to college at Southeast Missouri State University, where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice in 1990.

Graham joined the Missouri State Highway Patrol in 1993; in 1999 he was promoted to corporal and in 2002 he became a sergeant.

At the time of his death, Graham was zone supervisor for Carter and Reynolds counties.

Three days after Graham's execution style murder, it was announced that authorities had "a person of interest" in custody. The patrol said information gathered during their investigation of Graham's death led them to arrest, Lance Shockley (b.), of Van Buren, who is now 32.

Graham had been investigating a fatal car crash in Carter County crash that he believed Shockley was responsible for.

That crash on November 26, 2004, killed Jeffrey Bayless. Bayless was the fiancee of Shockley's wife's sister.

In the probable cause statement filed along with the criminal complaint against Shockley, it is alleged Shockley asked for directions to the troopers house on the day of his murder.

It also states that Shockley allegedly borrowed his grandmother's red Pontiac Grand Am the afternoon of January 20th, and that several witnesses saw the car parked on a secluded gravel road not far from Graham's home.

Within two weeks, Shockley's wife, Coree, was charged with tampering with evidence in the case for allegedly removing ammunition from the couples home after Trooper Graham's killing.

Shortly after that Coree Shockley was charged with second degree assault of a law enforcement officer. It is alleged that she showed up on the doorstep of Carter County Prosecutor Michael Ligons home unannounced.

Coree's sister, Cynthia Chilton, was charged with perjury and Coree Shockley's mother, Sherry Chilton Keeney, 52, was charged with tampering with evidence in the case.

After three years years of delays, where judge's recused themselves (Shockley couldn't even be arraigned on the murder charge until August of 2005,) numerous motions filed, and attorney's leaving the case, it finally looked like there would be some sort of closure (I hate that word,) for Graham's family when Presiding Circuit Court Judge David Evans got the case in 2007, and set a trial date for Aug. 11, 2008.

In a move that no one saw coming Shockley's new attorney's threw prosecutors a curve ball in June.

They wanted the state to drop all the charges relating to Trooper Graham's death dismissed against Lance Shockley after prosecutors said they weren't going to call his wife, Coree, to the stand to testify against her husband for the state.

According to a motion filed by Lance Shockley's public defenders, all charges should be dismissed because Coree Shockley's testimony was key to the prosecution's case.

Their arugment, "To allow the Prosecutor to continue... when he has attested and stated as an officer of the court that a witness's testimony is "necessary" to prove his case against Mr. Shockley beyond a reasonable doubt and that he does not have and will not have that witness's testimony would obliterate Mr. Shockley's right to due process."

On June 10th, Judge David Evans denied the defense's motion to dismiss; then defense attorney Jan Zemble stated that she and her co-counsel needed more time to dispose and interview potential witnesses in the case.

In response to the motion Judge Evans said that he scheduled the trial at least a year in advance and felt that he gave both sides ample time to get their cases together.

He instructed both sides to be ready for jury selection on August 6th.

Less than a month later, Judge Evans granted a sealed motion by Lance Shockley's defense team to withdraw from the case, citing "confidential communications."

At a hearing held this week Judge Evans scheduled jury selection to begin on March 18, 2009.

Opening arguments are slated to begin on March 23, 2009.

UPDATE (03-19-09):

Jury selection began today (03-19-09) in the capital murder trial of a West Plains man accused of killing a lawman.

It was four years ago that Lance Shockley allegedly gunned down Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Sergeant Carl DeWayne Graham Jr. in the driveway of his home as he returned home from work.

Prosecutors say that Shockley killed Graham because he was the driver of a vehicle that killed the fiancee of his wife's sister and believed his arrest was imminent.

A jury is being selected in Carter County and imported to Howell County for the trial.

Prosecutors are scheduled to make opening statements in the trial on Monday (03-23-09.)

UPDATED: Dawn Cole Pleads Guilty To Killing Boyfriend:

A thirty five year old woman from Branson has pleaded guilty to second degree murder for the October 2006 stabbing death of her boyfriend.

Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell said that Dawn Cole and her boyfriend had been on a methamphetamine binge for several days leading up to October 10th.

When the man attempted to leave their room at the 76 Express Inn in Branson, Cole stabbed him with a kitchen knife. The man was transported to Skaggs Hospital in Branson where he died from his injuries on October 21st.

Dawn Cole is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1st where she will receive anywhere from 10 to 15 years in prison for her plea deal.

UPDATE: Dawn Cole was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Who Killed Ger Lee? Authorities In Newton County Need Help Solving Hmong Mans Murder

The last time anyone remembers seeing Ger Lee was in January of this year. By May, relatives knew why. Lee's decomposing body was found by a farmer cutting his field south of Granby. Lee had been shot in the head according to the medical examiner.

Ger Lee's cousin, John, called authorities in Newton County after he recognized a Buddhist necklace he believed belonged to his cousin. Authorities released a picture of the necklace found with the remains through the media in May with the hope that someone would recognize the distinctive piece of jewelry.

According to John Lee, he and Ger were members of a small Laotian community near Cassville, and that Ger Lee suffered from an addiction to opium. With that information authorities started delving into Ger Lee's past.

That led them to St. Paul, Minnesota, where the victim and a passenger had been pulled over in June of 2007 for possible involvement in a shooting incident. Cops in Minnesota say that Ger Lee had almost $1,400 in cash and nearly a pound of opium on him when he was stopped, and after serving a search warrant on a room at a motel that he had a key for, another $10,000 in cash was found. He was charged with first-degree possession of narcotics.

According to a booking sheet at one point Ger asked detectives for "his medicine." When asked what he meant, he told cops "the stuff in the console, it's opium....I just bought it and use it as a painkiller."

According to Ger Lee's girlfriend, Soun Sachao, a man accompanied Lee back to the Cassville area near the beginning of 2007 and that he had distinctive tattoos that covered his hands. Newton County sheriff, Ken Copeland, said those hand tattoos match the description of the ones of the man who was the passenger in Lee's car when it was pulled over in 2007.

Lee, was driving a black Acura with Minnesota plates just before his disappearance, and investigators assumed that the vehicle had been driven back to Minnesota by his killer. However, authorities tracked the Acura to a wrecker service in Lawrence County. It had been towed there after it was found abandoned at the Talbot Conservation are on or about Jan. 20.

Newton County sheriff's investigators say that their inquiry into Ger Lee's death has reached a lull. Chief Deputy Chris Jennings said leads in the 40 year-old mans murder have been run down, but, that they have not proved fruitful. He added that detectives aren't abandoning the case, but that it is at a stand still.

If you have any information on the murder of Ger Lee, you are asked to call the Newton County sheriff's office at 417- 451-8300 or 417-451-8333.

Three Brothers Charged With Assault; No Word On Arson Charges Yet

Cops in Douglas County say that three brothers are responsible for the assault of three men in a house near Ava earlier this month. That same house burned to the ground several hours later as authorities were investigating the assault; the result of arson according to the state fire marshal.

James Turley and Floyd Turley of Mountain Grove, and Michael Turley, of Mansfield, have each been charged with three counts of first-degree assault. The three men who were assaulted, Cecil Maggard, Steve Carnall, and Russell Waters, were transported to a hospital for treatment.

According to the probable cause statement, Eva Maples told detectives on the scene that James "Bo" Turley "threw her face down on a bed, held a gun to her head, poured gasoline around the bed, and told her he was going to burn her alive." Ms. Maples is the person who alerted deputies about the assault in progress. No charges have been filed in connection to the arson.

Two of the Turley brothers are being held in the Douglas County jail, the third in the Greene County jail on $100,000 bond each. They will next appear in a Douglas County courtroom on September 25th, for their preliminary hearings.



case net: https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do

08U4-CR00421 - ST V FLOYD R TURLEY

08U4-CR00419 - ST V JAMES C TURLEY

08U4-CR00420 - ST V MICHAEL J TURLEY

Executive Director of the Springfield Association of the Blind Charged With Stealing Charity Funds

Mickey O. Martin (mug shot GCSO)

Mickey O. Martin was supposed to be paying bills as the Executive Director of the Springfield Association of the Blind, however authorities say he stole at least $25,000 from the charity.

According to investigators, the alleged theft of funds was reported when board members discovered that outstanding bills Martin was in charge of paying were delinquent.
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 Detectives think Martin stole money between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 1, 2007.After further investigation, it was discovered that Martin had authorized checks to himself and other persons/and businesses that weren't connected to the Springfield Association of the Blind.

UPDATE - 05-13-11:

The charges against Martin were dismissed by the state as Martin met the conditions of deferred prosecution.

Barry County Woman Gets Four Years In Prison For Arson And Murder Coverup

Two friends from southwest Missouri thought they had conspired the perfect crime, however, the long arm of the law figured it out.

Etta Harper, of Shell Knob, and Naomi Nance attempted to cover up the murder of Naomi's husband, William Nance, three years ago.

Detectives say that Harper's fiancé, Dennis Bisher, bludgeoned William Nance with a hammer, shot him and then dumped the man's body in the Mississippi River where three fisherman found the mans body. Harper and Nance's wife set the Nance home on fire to cover up the murder.

Etta Harper entered an Alford plea for arson in June, and was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday. Harper’s Alford plea means she doesn’t admit guilt but concedes prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction.

On Tuesday, Naomi Nance pleaded guilty to arson, and she is set to be sentenced in November.

Bisher's trial was moved to Lafayette County where he was convicted of first degree murder and he was sentenced to a life sentence without possibility of parole; he also was sentenced to a consecutive 99 year sentence on an armed criminal action charge.

Nixa Woman Will Stand Trial For Boyfriend's Murder On April 20, 2009

A Nixa woman charged with killing her boyfriend is scheduled to stand trial for second degree murder on April 20, 2009.

Kelly Pardue told investigators that her boyfriend, Jon Sell, shot himself in the bedroom of the couples home on Texas Street in January of this year.

In a probable cause statement, Detective Jon Huff wrote that Pardue gave several differing accounts as to what took place in the house.

Pardue told Huff that Sell accidentally shot himself when he was cleaning his shotgun. Then she implied that Sell threw the shotgun after shooting himself; or that an intruder entered the house and shot the man.

Investigators say that Sell was crouching and stooping when he was shot and that it would have been impossible for Sell to shoot himself, either accidentally or on purpose.

Cops say that Pardue was upset with Sell for taking her dog and dumping it with a bag of dog food in Taney County.

Huff also wrote that it appears someone took a shower and washed away blood before police arrived at the crime scene.

Police had been dispatched to the Texas Street house multiple times on calls ranging from disturbances to alleged domestic violence in the past.

The probable cause statement says that Pardue had that an active ex parte (order of protection )also said Pardue against Sell at the time of his death.

If Pardue is convicted Pardue could face up 30-years in prison for second-degree murder. If convicted of the armed criminal action charge that would mean that she would have to serve at least 80% of the sentence imposed before she would be eligible for parole.

NOTE: PARDUE'S TRIAL HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN LATE JULY.

Former Clever City Clerk Sentenced For Stealing

A former city clerk of Clever was sentenced to 120 days shock time for stealing over $18,000 by forging signatures on city checks.

Julia Keithley said she used the money because she was in financial strains after her husband, Mark, the former mayor of Clever, was sent to jail on suspicion of child molestation, and to pay for collect phone calls from her husband.

Mark Keithley is a convicted sex offender, but, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in June after pleading guilty Nov. 5 to a charge of a felon being in possession of a firearm.

In addition to the four months "shock time," Julia Keithley will have to pay restitution to the city according to Christian County Prosecutor, Ron Cleek.

UPDATE: Parole Denied For Springfield Woman Convicted Of Husbands Murder:

It was thirty years ago that Roberta Borden, and her lover, Donald Wayne Pilkerton, crept up to the Borden family home. Once there, they shot Delbert Borden through a window as he sat in his La-Z-Boy watching television; that shot, went directly through his heart.

Roberta Borden was sentenced to 50 years in prison for her husbands death. But, that's all relative now due to a new state law.

Under a new statute enacted by Governor Matt Blunt two years ago, Roberta may be a free woman very soon. The statute was put into place by the governor to allow victims of domestic and sexual assault consideration for early release. There are qualifying conditions for consideration for parole for prisoners under the statute, they are:

1. The prisoner must have pleaded guilty or been found guilty of killing their spouse or domestic partner in a trial that began before 1991.

2. Must have no prior felony convictions. Must have no other legal recourse to being freed.

3. Must have "a history of being a victim of continual and substantial physical or sexual domestic violence that was not presented as an affirmative defense at trial or sentencing..."

Roberta Borden initially told investigators that three masked men entered her home robbing and shooting Delbert Borden, and rendering her unconscious.

At Donald Pilkerton's urging, Borden's son called 911 to report that three masked men had entered his parents home and that his parents were in dire need of help. Borden's son told dispatchers that the men had shot and robbed his father, knocked his mother out, and tied he and his sibling up with rope.

At Borden's preliminary hearing, her son testified that he had seen his father, a former Springfield police officer, hit his mother on several occasions.

In an affidavit, Roberta Borden, told authorities that the intruders kept calling her "Mrs. Cloninger," that led cops to theorize that the masked men thought they were targeting, Darence Cloninger, a disgraced financial consultant who had once lived nearby. That ruse lasted about a week until Borden was arrested when she couldn't explain her lack of injuries after being roughed up and knocked out.

Donald Pilkerton became the star witness for the state in exchange for a plea deal of no more than thirty years for his testimony against Borden. He was released from prison in 2000.

Borden and three other convicts will be the first to receive hearings under the law when they appear before a parole board today.

We should know in about six to eight weeks whether or not the parole board grants freedom to Roberta Borden; if they don't, it will be three more years before she becomes eligible for another parole hearing.

UPDATE: Parole for Roberta Carlene Borden was denied in early December 2008. The parole board wrote in their ruling that it's "not in the best interest of society."

In the two sentence ruling the board wrote, "The board has considered you for parole pursuant to criteria established by section 217.692 RSMo.," it reads. "It is their determination that release at this time is not in the best interest of society."

Attorneys for Borden are looking at several legal options to gain freedom for their client. One of them is to file a writ in state court, where they will ask a judge to compel the parole board to follow the law.

Another option is that they also could appeal to Governor elect Jay Nixon and ask him to reverse the board's decision; they could also ask the parole board to ask its members to look at the state statute again and reconsider their ruling.

The 63 yearold woman is not eligible to appear before the board again until 2011.

Justice Delayed In Death Of Tallen Davidson

It will take a little longer for Karissa Hoyt to find out just how many years in prison she'll spend for the death of her little boy.

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Hoyt was originally charged with felony child abuse two days after Tallen Davidson's death, however, that charge was amended to voluntary manslaughter after Hoyt entered an Alford plea about two weeks before her trial was to begin last August.

According to court records, Hoyt's boyfriend, Gary Lynn Baker, Jr., took the unresponsive 3 year-old to the emergency room at St. John's in Lebanon, where he told doctors and nurses that Tallen had fallen.  The little boy was then air lifted to St. John's in Springfield where he died the next day. 

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Hospital personnel noticed bruising on Tallen's body, and did not believe that the toddlers injuries were consistent with a fall and contacted authorities. An autopsy concluded that the little boy died of shaken baby syndrome.   Prosecutors say that Hoyt grabbed her little boy by the throat and violently shook him in February of 2006.
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Karissa Michelle Hoyt (mug shot MDOC)

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Hoyt's sentencing is set for October 14th, in Morgan County where her case was moved on a change of venue. The range of punishment she could receive is anywhere from five to fifteen years in prison.

NOTE: Tallen's grandmother has set up a website dedicated to him.
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An Alford plea is a plea in which the defendant admits that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction, but does not admit committing the offense.
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Gary Baker Jr. (mug shot MDOC)

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Gary Lynn Baker, Jr., is serving time in jail on for an unrelated drug crime.
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UPDATE:

Hoyt was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Texas County Man Will Testify For Prosecutors In Father And Brothers Murder Trial In Exchange For A Lighter Sentence

A young man from Texas County originally charged with second degree murder has agreed to help prosecutors with their cases against his father and brother, in exchange for a lighter sentence.


Prosecutors say that Andrew Geise, along with his brother, Nathaniel "Tommy" Geise, and the boys' father, Kurt, allegedly shot and killed Travis Walker and severely beat Robert Brummit in the driveway of the Geise home north of Willow Springs in March of 2006.


According to investigators, Walker, Brummit and three friends went to the Geise home looking for the driver of a white Dodge Intrepid that attempted to run Brummit, his girlfriend and their baby off of the road earlier in the evening.

According to witnesses, the Geise's would not let them call 911 to summon help for Walker until it was too late.

In exchange for his testimony, prosecutors have widdled down Andrew Geise's charge to aggravated assault. He will be sentenced on October 14th. According to online records, Nathaniel "Tommy Geise's, jury trial is set for April of next year; Kurt Geise's trial is set to begin in May of 2009.

Weekend Brawl In Douglas County Leaves Three Men Injured And A Home Up In Smoke

Detectives with the Douglas County sheriff's department are investigating a weekend brawl that left three men seriously injured and a home located in a rural part of the county nothing but ashen rubble. The result of arson, according to investigators.

Chief Deputy Vern Johnson said that his department received a call of an assault in progress at the home near Ava at about 11 p.m. last Saturday. When officers arrived they found the injured men and called for emergency crews to transport them to the hospital. One of those men is still hospitalized with "non-life threatening injuries," according to Johnson.

While deputies were investigating the assault, they were dispatched back to the original crime scene which was fully engulfed in flames about two and a half hours later. A woman was inside of the home when the fire broke out according to Johnson, who also said that some sort of flammable liquid had been poured throughout the home . The State Fire Marshal's office has been called in to assist detectives with their investigation.

Cops have four persons of interest in the case, three men and a woman. No arrests have been made.

Man Who Allegedly Shot His Girlfriend Up With Morphine Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

A man from Ozark has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the June 19th overdose death of his girlfriend.

Christian County Prosecutor Ron Cleek filed those charges late last week against 23 year-old Bobby Gene Jones. According to the probable cause statement, Jones loaded a syringe with his prescription morphine and injected it into Kristina Lee Liles, 34, of Rogersville.

Detective Brad Cole wrote in the probable cause statement that Jones does recall providing Liles with his morphine and helping administer at least one shot to the woman on June 19.

At one point, Jones said that Liles told him that, “the amount of morphine injected was too much; (and) that after knowing Kristina had overdosed he put her to bed at approximately 1:00 a.m., and did not attempt to get her any medical attention. Jones went on to say that when he awoke at 6:00 a.m. his girlfriend was not breathing.

An autopsy was conducted at Southwest Missouri Forensics in Nixa. The pathologist ruled that the cause of Kristina Liles death was lack of oxygen due to her breathing being slowed down by the tramadol and morphine that was in her system.

https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/cases/header.do

08N8-CR01566--BOBBY JONES

Cops Bust Four Adults And Place Six Children In Protective Custody After Meth Bust

Cops were called to a house on the west side of Springfield on Sunday afternoon and what they found even tugged at hardened officers.

A call from a concerned neighbor about traffic in and out of the house at all hours led officials to the house on Mt. Vernon at mid-day. Inside, they found four adults, six kids (all of them siblings,) and a working meth lab.

Charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of a controlled substance are 49 year-old Neil Thomas Chesley, who is also facing similar charges in Christian County--and more of the same in Greene County; and 25 year-old April Albert.

The kids who all belong to April Albert range in age from 10 to 2 months are in the custody of child protective services.

St. Johns Security Officers Will No Longer Carry Tasers

The rise in violence in emergency rooms is climbing, however, security officers at St. Johns will have one less way to combat out of control situations by the end of the month.

According to hospital spokesman, Mike Peters, there are just a handful of security personnel that are commissioned, however, none carry firearms. In a recent NL article, Peters said, “(Hospital) accrediting agencies have expressed concern about (the use of) restraints, and Tasers are a form of restraint.”

This comes just a month after Cox North security officer, Monte Ruby, was kicked in the back of the head by an out of control patient. Ruby, died of his injuries several days later. The man accused of causing Ruby's injuries, Jeffrey Bolden, is set to appear in a Greene County courtroom on September, 19th. on charges of assault on a law enforcement officer and/or emergency personnel.

Carthage Man Charged With Using MySpace Page To Entice Minors

A man from Carthage was charged in Federal Court today with enticing a minor for sexual activity; he was charged last Friday with possession of child pornography and failure to register as a sex offender in Jasper County.

The U.S. Attorney's office for the Western District of Missouri was alerted by the Center For Missing And Exploited Children who told them that, Ivron Butler, 44, was using his MySpace page to instant message young boys asking for nude photos, and offering to swap sexually explicit stories with them. And this isn't Butler's first time to face charges involving underage kids.

When cops served a search warrant on Butler's computer, they found images and videos of children in all stages of undress.

The U.S. attorney's office was assisted in their investigation by the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, The Carthage Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=mo&vol=/appeals/031998/&invol=3703_98

Southwest Missouri Man Facing Federal Charges For Attempting To Have Sex With Three Year-Old

A Southwest Missouri man was slapped with Federal charges last week of attempting to have sex with a three year-old little girl. is looking at ten to life if he is convicted of traveling over state lines to have sex with a three year old little girl.

Federal authorities say that 32 year-old Jeffrey Cornell Lewis, of Joplin, is looking at ten years to life if he is convicted of using his cell phone to text the toddlers mom in Fairland, OK, to tell her what he wanted to do with her little girl. The child's mother then contacted cops who posed as the woman online, where again, he expressed his intentions last July.

Death Of Toddler Ruled Homicide

Last weeks death of a toddler from Jasper County has been ruled a homicide according to Coroner Jerry Neil.

Neil and investigators with the Joplin Police Department are remaining tight-lipped in little Kyler DeShawn Jones' death.

What is known is that a caregiver of the little boy took him to an urgent care facility about 11:00 a. m. last Tuesday in Joplin; he was then transported by ambulance to St. John's Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m.

According to cops, Kyler had some bruising on his body and an autopsy performed on the toddler was inconclusive, however, the coroners ruling reveals that Kyler's death wasn't an accident.

Kyler's mom, Meagan Jones, left him in the charge of a Joplin couple and was not with him when he was brought in to the urgent care facility. Kylers' father, lives out of state and authorities had a hard time contacting him.

Corporal Chuck Niess of the Joplin Police Department said the investigation into the little boy's death has just gotten underway and that there are no charges pending against anyone right now.

Ashworth Pleads To Manslaughter In Housden, Eddings Murders

A Newton County, Arkansas man who was charged with capital murder last year has copped a plea of manslaughter for his crime.

William Ashworth was charged in the deaths of two roofers, Lee O' "Tilton" Housden III, and Timothy Ray Eddings. Housden and Eddings went missing in October of 2005, and the case was cold until a confidential informant contacted the FBI on September 11, 2007.

That informant told authorities that he helped move the men's bodies to the Mt. Shiloh area of Newton County, not far from where the two men were last seen roofing a house. The informant told cops that he stood by and watched as Ashworth doused their bodies with diesel and burned them.

According to an affidavit, Prosecutors say that Ashworth killed Housden and Eddings after they crept onto his property with a gas can and a shotgun to burn down his home and get even with him. Ashworth's attorney, Wendy Howerton, said that there was an ongoing tiff between Ashworth and Eddings over Eddings’ infatuation with Ashworth’s then 15-year-old daughter.

Judge Gordon Webb accepted the state's plea offer last Friday handing Ashworth a ten year sentence for the manslaughter of each man, two years in prison for each count of abuse of a corpse, and eight years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Those sentences are to run consecutively (one after the other.) The last charge is an enhancement charge; what that boils down to is that Ashworth will have to serve 80% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.