Trial date set for suspect in child’s murder
http://www.neoshodailynews.com/news/x593977882/...

looks like one of these scumbags is finally going to court.

You go red neck Mom, I couldn’t have said it better…

GM of 10, do you realize you’re responding to a post left almost a year ago? I doubt that person is here and reading this thread any more, though I suppose it’s possible.

We're still here a year later,..:)
This is the story that brought me to DD also. I'm here most every day though I don't often comment. Will be watching this case closely as it is local for me.

Okay, I’ll sub to get the updates so Ruby won’t be talking to herself, lol.

Bless you, Castille. It's lonely talking to myself all the time -- I'd welcome some company. :D

Okay, I'll sub to get the updates so Ruby won't be talking to herself, lol.

Thanks, Dymphna....I think I posted that same information just above in post 966. Is this thing on? Are my posts visible to anyone but me? Some days, I have to wonder...

Thanks Dymphna!

This story makes me sick. Everytime I see her face or hear her name my heart aches. I hope they find justice for her soon and put these too assholes to death.

Court action in the rape and murder of 9 year old Stella, Missouri girl

Updated: Sep 3, 2008 12:45 PM

Christopher Collings, a suspect in the death of Rowan Ford will now to go trial in Phelps County, Missouri on a change of venue.

Collings and David Spears, Rowan's stepfather, are charged with first degree murder, forcible rape, and statutory rape.

They're accused of raping and strangling Rowan Ford last November at Collings' home. Rowan's body was found in a cave in McDonald County a week after she was reported missing.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in this case.

Spears -- Ford's stepfather -- was granted a change of venue and will now be tried in Pulaski County.

You go red neck Mom, I couldn’t have said it better…

GM of 10, do you realize you're responding to a post left almost a year ago? I doubt that person is here and reading this thread any more, though I suppose it's possible.

ok first of all may I say that this is one of the most heidous cases i have read about I am a red neck mom and grandma from missouri and I agree with all of you That the step grandma knew about it and was covering up for her fat swine sucking pig of a son what mother gets out of bed at 1:30 am to take her supposdley drunk son her car and sets at his house for 5 1/2 hours til he returns and doese’nt at least peek in on the child she is supposed to be sitting with acting like she did’nt know the child wasn’t there bull spit!!!! she knew I will just say this much in all honesty years ago I had made a terrible mistake and married a guy who I had known all of my life one day I was sick and had went to lie down my then 8 year old daughter came and got in bed with me she was shaking all over i ask her what was wrong and she told me her step dad had stood over her while she was sleeping on the living room floor and had ejaculated on her well this was the first time someting like this had ever happened because my daughter was taught to always tell me everything so without hesitation i cleaned her up while my ex husband sat in the recliner asleep I took her to the neighbours house and returned home needless to say he was awoken by me jabing him in the gut with his own 30/30 it was’nt loaded but he did’nt know that he confessed everything to me right then and there and had wet himself and begged for mercy for me not to kill him my friend by this time had called the police and he was aresseted he actually told the cops he wanted to press attempted murder charges on me the cop looked at him and said well i wont aresst you and you can go back in the house with your wife if thats what you want ha ha he volunteered to go to jail . So yes I know what its like to have your child hurt my daughter is now 27 years old and has had to undergo alot of therpy in her life but she is at least still with me and for that everyday I thank god . Now for what i feel should be done to all of those involved in rowan fords case the death penalty is to damn good for them after all why should they die a peaceful death of going quitly to sleep and never waking up by a needle hell thats just a shot the should be put into prision and once a day be brutally raped by other in mates while having to stare at a huge photo of rowan after the rape they need to be strangled with a cord until the pass out only to have it repeated over agian and agian until the die of old age now thats red neck justice !!!!! otherwise for the rest of their natural born lives the should have to face the horror that little girl faced I would just bet that if every one of the preverts out there was sentanced to a punishment like this there would be alot less of this crap happining.

You go red neck Mom, I couldn't have said it better...

I also found the following posted September 8th on The Turner Report:

December court date set for Rowan Ford's stepfather

The next court date for David Wesley Spears, 25, who is accused of the brutal rape and murder of his nine-year-old stepdaughter Rowan Ford of Stella, is set for Dec. 3 in Pulaski County Circuit Court, according to documents filed today.

A date for Spears' trial will be set that day, the record indicates.

The other defendant in the case, Chris Collings, 34, Wheaton, a friend of Spears', is being tried in Phelps County.

http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2008/09/december...

Rowan Ford. This is the story that brought me to the Dreamin' Demon.

It's almost a year later, and just seeing Rowan's face still makes me tear up. I admit that I've even had a few nightmares about this case, which doesn't usually happen to me. No child should ever have to endure what Rowan endured. I was secretly kind of glad when the comments died down, as I thought I'd be able to stop worrying over this one, but....no such luck. I'm afraid I'll carry beautiful little Rowan Ford - and the brutality of her death - with me for the rest of my life.

I came here to let you all know that Chris Collings' change of venue motion was granted on Sept 3rd. Here's the story:


Judge moves Collings' murder case from Cassville to Rolla
by KY3 News
Published: Sep 3, 2008 at 3:58 PM CDT
Story Updated: Sep 3, 2008 at 4:21 PM CDT
By Gene Hartley

CASSVILLE, Mo. -- A judge agreed Wednesday to move the murder trial of Christopher Collings to Phelps County Circuit Court in Rolla. Collings faces a possible death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder for the strangulation death of the 9-year-old stepdaughter of his friend, David Spears.

Collings' attorneys asked last January for the case to be moved to another county because of extensive publicity last November about the disappearance of Rowan Ford, who lived in Stella in Newton County. Searchers found Rowan's body in a cave in McDonald County about a week after her disappearance. Investigators believe Collings and Spears raped and murdered Rowan at Collings' home in Barry County.

In July, Circuit Judge Robert Wiley moved Spears' trial to Pulaski County Circuit Court in Waynesville. The men will be tried separately because they may each want to implicate the other in their own defense.

Both Rolla and Waynesville are in the KY3 area, and potential jurors could have watched coverage of the search for Rowan and the arrests of the two men. Wiley feels, however, that the counties are far enough away from the crime scene that impartial juries can be seated.

Both men are represented by state public defenders. It likely will take a year or more for both cases to go to trial because of judges' schedules, courtroom space and the amount of time that prosecutors and defense attorneys need to prepare for death penalty cases.

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/27826944.html

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.

oh that would be kewl if you swung by lol thanks for the update ... nothing too exciting is there.

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.

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?

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

Thanks, Imp - I think. Damn, reading all of that was disheartening, because I know you're probably right.

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.

07/22/2008 Docket Entry: Memorandum FiledFiling Party: SPEARS , DAVID WESLEYDocket Entry: Change of VenueText: 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

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.

thank you for the update...i can't get that poor child out of my mind

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.

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.

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

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.

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!!!!

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. :)

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.

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.

I’m ready for this trial and the defense of these men after they confessed to this horrific crime.

I'm ready for their executions! May they be painful and slow.

I know that is wishful thinking - so I'm wishing on a star, in the wishing well, throw a nickel in the pool - whatever, just wishing what they have done could be revisited on them daily.

ImpQueen - thanks for the clarification and the updates....you live in Missouri too?!?

I figure they will probably try the case closer to St. Louis or Kansas City.

I'm ready for this trial and the defense of these men after they confessed to this horrific crime.

I wish they would just off themselves.
Poor little Rowan.

Collings and Spears go in front of Judge Wiley on July 22 for a hearing - beyond that, nothing's been set that I can see.

Thanks, Imp and Ashley22H.

Do we have the date in July, at this point?

note, i should of watched video first, collings has no attorney what happen to the one he had - run scared ?

No, Wonder, that's not what it said at all.

Collings has one attorney - public defender Clate Jay Baker. Who is not a bad guy, by the way. David Spears has Mike King and Cynthia Dryden.

In Missouri, a defendant facing the death penalty must have at least TWO attorneys.

This wasn't an issue until the DP went on the table. Missouri can try guys on LWOP cases with a single defense attorney. But once the death penalty comes in, things change. Collings has one attorney right now. But in order to try this as a death penalty case, each defendant needs two lawyers.

Also, there's been an issue with getting another county to take the case for trial. Nobody wants to try this case in their town. The defense wants this as far away from Barry County (or Newton County, for that matter) as possible. My county is ninety miles away and probably too close. Finding another venue takes time.

Seems like I mentioned a long time ago I thought this case would take a good year to get to trial. It's moving faster than I expected.

Hope that helps clear things up for you.

note, i should of watched video first, collings has no attorney what happen to the one he had - run scared ?

2 free attorney's each he can share his and vice vs.... they already confessed just electrocute them be done with it if you can't bring them to the town square for a stoning - justice system is broken - just imagine all the money saved for speedy trials...

Another update about the trial today. They are postponing the case again until late July due to the fact that for death penalty cases the men must have two attorneys each. (Who would want to represent them???)

They also said it could take up to a year before these men will actually be tried for this case. But the delay today was due to the fact that the men didn't have two attorneys each.

Here is a link to the story about the update. It also has video with an interview with Rowan's mother.

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/19108389.html

Thanks Ashley! We'll all be watching for updates!

I live in Cassville, Missouri and wanted to give everyone an update on the trials of the two idiots. Predictions are that the lawyers for both men will push to have the trial moved to another county because of the publicity of the case. The trial is set to take place at 1:00 PM CST. I will give you any other updates as I hear them.

Here is a link to the local news channel covering the case.



http://www.ky3.com/news/local/19095054.html

I live in Barry County and hear about this story constantly. It makes me sick. The Barry County prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for both men charged. I know that the Sheriff of Barry County, Mick Epperly usually has to be the one to escort the men back and forth to court because most officers are afraid to escort them because they all want to kick the livin’ ….well you know.

Welcome. :) Thanks for posting. Since you live there, I hope that you will share any updates in the case as they come along.

I live in Barry County and hear about this story constantly. It makes me sick. The Barry County prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for both men charged. I know that the Sheriff of Barry County, Mick Epperly usually has to be the one to escort the men back and forth to court because most officers are afraid to escort them because they all want to kick the livin' ....well you know.

I hope justice is done in this case for little Rowan and both men are put to death!

Hurray!!! *does cartwheels through lobby* Thanks Momof4 for the good news. The trial and executions cannot come soon enough. I'd be willing to wait on actually killing them, IF they could be put in general population for a few weeks - but other than that, tomorrow would not be soon enough for them to die a slow, horrible death.