Trial Date Set In Rowan Ford Murder Case:

One year to the day that Rowan Ford was taken from the safety of her own bed in the middle of the night, one of her alleged killers had his trial date set.

Rowan was abducted from her bedroom on November 3rd, 2007. One week later her body was found inside a cave in McDonald County. Authorities allege that Rowan was raped and murdered at the trailer of her stepfathers friend Chris Collings in Barry County.

Barry County prosecutor, Johnnie Cox, told me that the trial is scheduled to begin on March 8, 2010. Cox expects jury selection in the death penalty case to take "at least a week." A judge handling the case in Phelps County has set aside March 8th through 26th for the trial setting. Cox says that Collings will appear in court again on December 3rd on a motion hearing where he is going to ask that hair be collected from the murder suspect. Collings case was moved to Phelps County on a change of venue

David Wesley Spears, Rowan's stepfather, is also facing the death penalty. His trail date will be set on December 3rd in Pulaski County where the case was moved on a change of venue.