Stella, MO — David Spears, and his friend, Chris Collings, 32, were charged Saturday with one count each of first-degree murder, forcible rape and statutory rape in the death of a 9-year-old Rowan Ford. Her body was found Friday in a cave in a remote part of McDonald County, about 10 miles south of the village of Stella, where she lived with her mother and David Spears. Based in part on Collings’ statement, the affidavit sent to the prosecutor alleges that the men took Rowan from her home to a camping trailer where Collings lived in Barry County.
Once there, both men raped Rowan and one of them then strangled her with a cord. Myrna Spears told The Associated Press Saturday that her son admitted to her from jail Friday night that he had taken part in the crime. He claimed to have suffered a blackout and his memories of that night started coming back to him on Friday.
Man, oh man. What a night that girl had. I am curious as to the statutory rape charge, though. That usually means that one of the parties was consenting, yet under the age of consent. I also wonder if David Spears had been doing things with this girl for a while, explaining early reports of the girl showing up to church hours early.
tutkill
madmommy
lacy44dd1
Concerned Citizen
testpattern
Turtletop
JusticeForCaylee
Shroomer
AnotherMother
965 responses so far ↓
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951
impqueen
Jun 19, 2008 at 10:49 am -Chris Collings now has a second attorney - Kansas City public defender Thomas Jacquinot. Now that both slimebags have counsel, the case can move along. Next pretrial hearing is July 22, as previously scheduled.
952
LL44
Jul 9, 2008 at 3:56 pm -I am surprised the case of 12 yr old Brooke Bennett hasn’t been front paged…. seems eerily similar to poor Rowan’s case.
First it seemed she ran off on her own in June based on her MySpace. Then she turns up dead, close to her pedophile uncle’s house.
Now…. both pedophile uncle & stepdad are both being charged with child porn, and abusing Brooke, as well as other girls.
953
impqueen
Jul 21, 2008 at 1:39 pm -Chris Collings’ lawyers asked for, and got, a continuance so he won’t be there for tomorrow’s hearing. David Spears and counsel will be in court tomorrow, but Collings doesn’t go back until August 19.
The dog and pony show has begun.
LL44, I probably would have front paged Brooke had I been here when she went missing, but I wasn’t available for a couple of weeks. By the time i got back, her body had been found and the case was already well underway. But that case has been covered in our forums quite a bit, in the Reality Bites section. Might have a look there if you haven’t already.
954
thepooh5
Jul 21, 2008 at 1:51 pm -Thanks for the news, Imp. The damn dirty bunch. How long does Rowan and her family have to wait for the courts to even attempt to see justice served? DAMN IT!!!!
955
impqueen
Jul 22, 2008 at 6:22 pm -From Missouri Casenet, today:
07/22/2008 Docket Entry: Memorandum Filed
Filing Party: SPEARS , DAVID WESLEY
Docket Entry: Change of Venue
Text: State appears by Assistant AG Elizabeth Bock and Barry Co PA Johnnie Cox. Defendant appears by attorneys Cynthia Bryden and Sharon Terlington. Court takes up defendant’s Motion for Change of Venue. By agreement, motion sustained. Cause ordered transferred to Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Missouri, in accordance with Order executed herein. SO ORDERED /s/Robert S. Wiley
956
impqueen
Jul 22, 2008 at 6:26 pm -So David Spears is being tried in Pulaski County, Missouri. Waynesville is the county seat; Fort Leonard Wood is within the county lines.
Betcha ten bucks Chris Collings gets a change of venue when he goes in front of the judge on August 19, too.
957
impqueen
Jul 22, 2008 at 6:31 pm -Added pic of Rowan; i dunno what happened to the shots of Collings and Spears we had up here, but her picture is prettier anyway. Poor kiddo.
958
Dymphna
Jul 23, 2008 at 12:27 am -thank you for the update…i can’t get that poor child out of my mind
959
thepooh5
Jul 23, 2008 at 10:23 am -Thanks, Imp, for the update. However, why did they have to waste a whole day to say - oh, yeah, we’ll try this somewhere else? This Change of Venue thing was put out there a long time ago. So, why couldn’t they just have granted it then? Yesterday could have been used for something much more productive towards actually moving forward in the trial process.
960
impqueen
Jul 23, 2008 at 10:51 am -First, they had to find a county with the resources and willingness to take the case and try it there. That took awhile. Then, they have to have a hearing to close the docket in one county and move it to another, which is what was done yesterday. The case number, everything changes, because the whole trial is being moved. The actual hearing took less than an hour - probably more like fifteen minutes - but this has been in the works for a long time.
Now that Collings and Spears each have a defense team in place, probably in August Chris Collings will have the same type of hearing - a change of venue motion granted that day that’s been in the works for months. I’m guessing they’re working on which county is going to take that trial as well right now, but also there was a continuance due to Collings just getting a second attorney and some trial conflicts with that lawyer.
This is pretty normal in cases like this - it can take two years for something to actually go to trial. Which is exactly what the defense wants - time for Rowan’s heinous rape and murder to be a little bit forgotten, or at least not so fresh. Otherwise, getting a jury seated would be impossible.
It’s frustrating, but in death penalty cases, the wheels can turn really slowly.
Also in this case, the defense does not want the defendants tried together, because I bet you ten bucks that the defense will be a reasonable doubt defense based on the theory that “the other guy killed her”. Guaranteed. It pains me to say it, but it is entirely possible that neither man will be convicted of first degree murder. I’d like to see both of them convicted, but if their defense teams are any good, they could get time on the rape charges and nothing on the murder, because both parties have said they did it - and now both parties will say they didn’t and each guy was just covering for the other one.
961
thepooh5
Jul 24, 2008 at 9:11 am -Thanks, Imp - I think. Damn, reading all of that was disheartening, because I know you’re probably right.
962
Wonder
Jul 24, 2008 at 10:31 pm -Yes Pooh you go girl… get things done in a day, they confessed by Gawd … Fuck them be done with them ……… put us out of our misery … gas ‘em up throw them in a deep as cave where the sharks can get at it…
The and air and foor for them could be better used elsewhere!
———-
** we asked long time ago to take down them ugly mugs … it was frightning to open the page.
That is the most beautiful pic of Rowan
963
impqueen
Aug 20, 2008 at 4:17 pm -By the way, Chris Collings got another damned continuance yesterday.
From the docket entry:
8/19/08 State appears by PA Johnnie Cox and Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Bock. Defendant’s attorney, Janice Zembles appears by telephone conference. At defendant’s request, continuance of appearance set for this date is granted. Court specially sets reappearance of defendant and counsel for September 3, 2008 at 1:00 pm. At instruction of Ms. Zembles, defendant is not transported to Court this date but will appear September 3, 2008 at 1:00 pm. SO ORDERED /s/Robert S. Wiley
Bleah. As it happens I’m gonna be in Newton County that day, so I may just swing on by.
964
Wonder
Aug 22, 2008 at 11:37 pm -oh that would be kewl if you swung by lol thanks for the update … nothing too exciting is there.
965
cotton
Aug 27, 2008 at 12:39 pm -Does anyone have information on the mother Colleen? Is she still in the area? The reason I am asking is because last week was our town fair and I swear that she was working with the carnival. If it wasn’t her, then this lady could pass as her twin.
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