A Springfield woman convicted of the 2011 double homicides of Rusty and Becky Porter will spend the rest of her life in prison.
A jury convicted Windy Friend for her role in the Porters' deaths in March.
Rusty and Becky Porter went missing from their home near Willard in April of 2011---their skeletal remains were found under a shed near Cedarcreek in rural Taney County several months later. They had each been shot in the back of the head.
Prosecutors told the jury during the week long trial that Robert Campbell, Rusty Porter's uncle, agreed to pay Tony Friend [Windy's husband] $100,000 for "two birthdays." Campbell and Rusty Porter were involved in an ongoing dispute over the family homestead from which the couple were kidnapped.
Tony Friend pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder late last year. He was also sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Robert Campbell and Dusty Hicks, who is Tony Friend's cousin, are scheduled to stand trial for their part in the couples deaths later this year.
It is believed that Campbell's wife, Carolyn, committed suicide in April after she was released from jail after being charged with perjury in connection to the case.
2 comments:
It's interesting, if you look at the case up on Missouri Case Net, it shows that she entered a guilty plea on 5/21/14 even though she was convicted by a jury at trial on 3/31/14.
I wonder if that is an error? You can't plead guilty after you are convicted, especially if your attorney has just filed an appeal :):)
Case 12AF-CR03047
The Taney County Circuit Clerk's office is not that bright (hopefully we'll get somebody in there that'll clean house). They frequently dispose of cases that were tried as "guilty pleas" among other things...
Post a Comment