Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Collings in Rowan Ford Case

[badfish76]

A Barry County Jail recording system taped conversations between two defendants and their attorneys in the capital murder case of child victim Rowan Ford and now a special master is to be appointed by the trial judge to sort out whether everything on the tapes should remain private.

Because of the amount of work yet to be done in the case of defendant Christopher Collings, Judge Tracy L. Storie granted a defense motion to delay Collings’ trial until next year. The judge has set the trial for Jan. 18 through Feb. 4 in Phelps County at Rolla, where it was moved from Barry County.

The judge on Thursday also entered an order to transport Collings for an exam, though the docket entry on Case.net, the court’s electronic record system, does not specify the type of examination. Barry County Prosecutor Johnnie Cox said he is barred by court rules from discussing the issue. That customarily happens when a defendant is to undergo a mental examination.

Death penalty

Collings faces the possibility of the death penalty in connection with the Nov. 3, 2007, kidnapping, rape and murder of the 9-year-old girl.

Collings and the girl’s stepfather, David Spears, have confessed to participating in the girl’s slaying.

Through court hearings, it has been disclosed that Collings told investigators he took the girl from her home in Stella, which is in Newton County, to his home in Wheaton, in Barry County, where he raped her.

The defendants have told authorities that while that was happening, Spears went to the Collings trailer house, joined in the sexual assault of the girl, and strangled her. They disposed of her body in a sinkhole in McDonald County. After she was reported missing, authorities searched for her for nearly a week before finding her body in the sinkhole.

The prosecutor filed aggravators to seek the death penalty against the men if there is a jury trial.

In the meantime, both sides are working to determine whether the evidence supports the statements the two defendants have given and whether there are factors that might change the degree of responsibility each defendant faces.

Authorities have previously said they also are working to clear up discrepancies in some of the details the men have given in their statements.

Recently, it was discovered that the jail’s recording system had recorded calls between the men and their lawyers, much if not all of which could be confidential under attorney-client privilege.

The prosecutor said Friday that the Sheriff’s Department did not intentionally record the conversations. He said that inmates are expected to provide jail workers with the telephone numbers of their attorneys. Then the recording system can be programmed not to record those calls.[...]

More at link

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_064214659.html?start:int=0

[Dakota Valkyrie]

This case is on the front page at: http://www.dreamindemon.com/2007/11/10/david-spears-chris-collings-arrested-in-death-of-rowan-ford/

Don't forget to comment and update there!

[badfish76]

This case is on the front page at: http://www.dreamindemon.com/2007/11/10/david-spears-chris-collings-arrested-in-death-of-rowan-ford/

Don't forget to comment and update there!

I have a problem posting to the FP. It will never accept my login info.

Any suggestions?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Check this thread...
http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29620

[badfish76]

Ok. Think I got it. Thanks for the help.

[badfish76]

June 20, 2010
Confession at issue in Rowan Ford murder

By Jeff Lehr Globe Staff Writer

An expert on false confessions is expected to testify today concerning alleged admissions that David W. Spears made during the investigation of the 2007 rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford.

Richard Leo, a law professor from the University of San Francisco, is scheduled to testify on behalf of the defense at a hearing in Pulaski County. Defense attorneys for Spears, 27, Ford’s stepfather, are seeking to get excluded from trial a taped confession their client allegedly made to Newton County sheriff’s deputies.

Today’s hearing in Waynesville could be the last of a series of hearings on the motion to suppress that began in April. Circuit Judge Tracy Storie could rule at the end of the hearing whether the confession will be admissible at Spears’ trial, scheduled for August 2011.

[...]

[...]. Spears’ case was moved to Pulaski County and Collings’ case to Phelps County on changes of venue based on defense claims of excessive publicity. Collings is scheduled for trial in January in Rolla.

A psychologist testified at hearings in April and May that Spears was under tremendous pressure from investigators in the aftermath of his stepdaughter’s disappearance from their home. Antoinette Cavanaugh told the court that her evaluation of Spears led her to believe he is highly susceptible to being coerced and led into situations in which he lets others fill in the blanks in his accounts of what happened.

The psychologist said Spears idolized Mark Bridges, the Newton County coroner and former sheriff, who played a role in the investigation, accompanying Spears on a drive around the countryside while the girl was still missing. During that drive, Spears reportedly pointed out a number of places where someone might dispose of a body and even allegedly pointed out to Bridges the sinkhole where Rowan eventually was found.

The defense expert told the court that she believes Spears’ eagerness to please Bridges may have rendered him all the more susceptible to a coerced confession.

Defense attorneys also have questioned whether their client was properly advised of his Miranda rights and whether he was capable of understanding those rights because of his abuse of alcohol.


[...]

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x657338543/Confession-at-issue-in-Rowan-Ford-murder
They seem to be trying really hard to save this POS's life. It is obvious that he knew what his buddy did even if there is a slim chance he didn't directly participate. They have won their change of venue but I don't think it is going to help. They are guilty all day long.

[Morbid]

Stella, MO – We got an email the other day asking why there were a lack of updates from us regarding Rowan Ford, the 9-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by Christopher Collings and her step-father, David Spears. The reason for that is because there really isn’t anything to report aside from more of [...]

More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScreaminDemon/~3/FLUS8PfLJw8/)

[badfish76]

Judges to allow ‘confessions’ in Rowan Ford trials


* 20 Feb 2011
* The Joplin Globe (Joplin, MO)
* BY JEFF LEHR jlehr@joplinglobe.com


Chris Collings kept looking up Wheaton police Chief Clint Clark and wanting to talk when 9-year-old Rowan Ford went missing three years ago.

Collings was clearly troubled by the Stella girl’s disappearance. So much so that Clark contacted FBI agents involved in the weeklong search for Ford and let them know on Nov. 8, 2007, that he thought Collings was about to break.

The next day, searchers discovered the body of the girl at the bottom of a sinkhole, known as the Fox Hole, in McDonald County. Clark’s hunch that Collings was near a breaking point would prove good just hours later at Muncie Bridge near Wheaton, where the police chief took him for a quiet man-to-man talk, according to testimony last year at a pretrial hearing.

By the end of the day, both Collings, 35, and the girl’s stepfather, David W. Spears, 28, would be arrested and charged with her rape and murder.

What Collings told Clark at the bridge and what Spears told Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges, as well as other alleged statements the two suspects made to investigators both before and after their arrests, have been the focus of motions to suppress filed by defense attorneys in the two cases being tried separately in Phelps and Pulaski counties on changes of venue from Barry County.

Beginning in April of last year, several hearings were held to decide if those alleged statements may be admitted as evidence at their trials.

Judges in both cases overruled those motions to suppress this past week, deciding that investigators acted in legally appropriate fashion during their questionings of Collings and Spears and in reading their Miranda rights to them on certain occasions but not others. Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield, in Collings’ case, and Circuit Judge Tracy Storie, in Spears’ case, both decided that there had been no coercion or improper inducement of the alleged statements.

The rulings clear the way for anticipated capital murder trials of both men later this year, with Spears currently set to go first in August, although the “confessions” in the case still leave questions about the two men’s alleged roles in the rape and murder of the girl.

FIRST CRACK
[...]

Following an initial interview with a deputy at their home, David Spears provided a voluntary written statement at the Newton County Sheriff’s Department that night. He reportedly said he’d last seen Rowan about 10:45 p.m. on Nov. 2, just before he left the residence with a friend, Nathan Mahurin, to go help Collings, whose vehicle Spears claimed had become stranded on a road without gas.

Spears said that when he later returned to the house, everything appeared to be fine, although he did not say if he had checked on Rowan. He said that when he was awakened by his wife about 9 a.m., the girl was gone.

But his wife told investigators that Collings and Mahurin came to their home in the same vehicle before she left for work. Her account clashed with Spears’ story that Collings had arrived there and left in his own vehicle. The three men had been drinking and playing pool together after work.

When confronted with the apparent contradiction by Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland, David Spears reportedly acknowledged that all three men arrived there in the same vehicle. He said he had lied about the matter initially because he was afraid he might get in trouble with the state’s child-welfare system since he left the girl home alone.

He now claimed to have driven Collings home to Wheaton and returned to his home about 1 a.m. He then went driving around some back roads in the area until about 6 a.m., according to his revised account. He also acknowledged that he’d called Mahurin and left a voice message asking Mahurin to tell anyone who might ask that they left the house together to take gas to Collings.

TWO CONFESSIONS

Spears and Collings would talk with investigators several times in the days prior to the discovery of the girl’s body and their arrests.

Spears granted multiple interviews, surrendered clothes he was wearing for testing and submitted to a series of voicestress tests and polygraph examinations. Collings also talked to investigators and allowed swabs of his mouth for a DNA sample. Both men consented to searches of vehicles, according to court records.

But the evolution of their alleged confessions involve separate authority figures with whom they allegedly became more willing to talk than with other investigators.

Testimony at the suppression hearings suggests that it was Bridges, the coroner, who became the “confessor” sought out by Spears, much the same as Collings allegedly turned to Clark to unburden his conscience.

Spears had worked for Bridges, a former sheriff, in the spring and summer of the same year and called him on Nov. 3 to tell Bridges his stepdaughter was missing. Bridges testified at the hearings that Spears continued to call him throughout the week that followed.

The coroner testified that Spears expressed a desire to assist in the search for the girl and that investigators advised Bridges to go along with the suggestion. Court records show that Bridges tape-recorded the conversations he had with Spear, including a drive Nov. 7 to locations where Spears thought someone might try to hide a body.

Bridges told the court that he had suggested they tour such places that Spears might know. One of the locations Spears took him to was the Fox Hole in McDonald County, he told the court. They did not look in the hole or attempt to climb into it at the time.

But it was not until after the discovery of the body that any alleged confession was elicited from Spears. During an interview at the Sheriff’s Department office the night of Nov. 9, Spears finally told sheriff’s investigators, with Bridges present, of his purported memories of the night, including seeing Collings on top of the girl raping her at one point.

Spears allegedly indicated that he also raped her and that Collings had handed him a cord that he had used to strangle her.

AT MUNCIE BRIDGE

Collings first spoke to Clark on Nov. 5 after some initial interviews by investigators in Newton County, stopping the police chief in his vehicle on the street. Wheaton is a small town and the police chief testified that he had known Collings for some time and was on friendly terms with him. Collings told him that he was being questioned about the missing girl.

He came to Clark’s office briefly the next afternoon and mentioned again that he was being questioned in the case. He was back in Clark’s office for a second straight day Nov. 7, talking about how he might need to get an attorney if the FBI and Newton County deputies did not stop questioning him. This time, he was clearly upset, according to Clark’s testimony.

Collings was crying and told Clark how much he loved Rowan. He had lived in the home of the girl, her mother and stepfather up until about a week before her disappearance. She’d come to call him “Uncle Chris.”

Clark testified that Collings informed him that he’d told the FBI and Newton County investigators that he would not talk to anyone but Clark. The police chief subsequently read him his rights and had him sign a Miranda form. But someone else entered the office at that point, and Collings suddenly decided that he needed to leave, the police chief testified.

Clark said that he then contacted the FBI agents involved in the case and met with them the following day. They discussed the possibility that the police chief might be someone to whom Collings could be willing to confess.

Clark subsequently went looking for Collings on Nov. 9 after learning that the girl’s body had been found and talked him into coming with him to his office. There he informed him of the news and told him the search was over. Collings was upset, according to Clark, and he again advised him of his rights. He said he told Collings it was time for him to tell what Spears had done to the girl.

The police chief testified that Collings did not want to talk there, that he wanted to go someplace quiet. Clark chose to take him to Muncie Bridge. He told the court that prior to going there, Collings held his hands out to him to be handcuffed and Clark told him that would not be necessary.

Collings made the same gesture once they got to the bridge, Clark told the court, and again he told him it was not necessary. Collings then allegedly admitted having been drinking with Spears and Mahurin the night in question at various locations, including his trailer.

When the other two men left Collings’ home, he got in his own vehicle and beat them back to Spears’ house in Stella, he allegedly told Clark. He entered the home, grabbed the girl and took her back to his trailer. He said he then raped and killed her and disposed of her body, according to Clark. In Clark’s recounting of Collings’ “confession,” there is no explanation of Spears’ role, if any, in the crime.

Printed and distributed by NewpaperDirect | www.newspaperdirect.com, US/Can: 1.877.980.4040, Intern: 800.6364.6364 | Copyright and protected by applicable law.

http://thejoplinglobe.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

I wanted to bring this update over since I know there are a lot of people that followed the case. I was only able to snip out a small portion because a lot of this is new news regarding the confessions. I am troubled by the information on Spears confession, because it is so vague and Collings doesn't implicate him in the confession that he gave, or at least it isn't mentioned if he did. I know that in the past there has also been conflicting information stating that they both confessed to strangling her. I pray for true Justice for Rowan.

I did include the author and source so that it is cited and should not be a copyright issue.

[MC30]

hell yeah they are

[badfish76]

The trial for Christopher Collings is set to begin Thursday in Rolla.

Collings is charged with the abduction, rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford in November of 2007. Today, Collings lawyer filed a motion to prevent the state from seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors claim Ford wasn't Collings only victim, he's also accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with another girl.
That's why prosecutors want to seek the death penalty against Collings.
Ford's step-father David Spears is also charged in her murder, his trial is scheduled for later this year.

http://http://fourstateshomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=181896

Video at link.

[MadeaBecBec]

Dang IT!!!

ROLLA, Mo. -- Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield delayed the scheduled murder trial of Christopher Collings for two weeks. Collings is one of two men charged for the rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford in November 2007.



Now jury selection is scheduled to be April 20-21, with opening statements starting on Monday, April 25.

Collings' attorneys requested the delay because they are changing their trial strategy and wanted more time to prepare.
http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-judge-delays-trial-of-chris-collings-for-murder-of-rowan-ford-in-2007-20110407,0,4015038.story

[MadeaBecBec]

The front page will not give me a place to comment, or log in!
Wonder if it's because the website has changed servers since 2007.....

I tried!!

[countrygirl]

WTF??? This is ridiculous!!! This happened in '07!! Get this over with and fry that f---er!!!!

[Coyote]

Get this latest update:


The trial of a southwest missouri man accused of raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl will not go ahead as scheduled on Monday.
The judge in the case has declared a mistrial in the case involving Christopher Collings, according to Phelps County Deputy Circuit Court Clerk, Jill Cooksey. A person who tells KY3 News they were in the jury pool says the mistrial was declared due to a lack of an adequate number of jurors left in the pool to meet legal requirements.
Collings and David Spears are accused of the rape and murder of Rowan Ford in November of 2007.
Spears was the girls step-father.
Collings faced a possible death penalty in trial that has now been called off.
The girl's stepfather, David Spears, faces the similar charges.
A judge delayed Collings' trial last year after his attorneys *unsuccessfully argued a taped confession should be thrown out as evidence.

Source (http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-collings-mistrial-declared-mistrial-declared-in-chris-collings-case-20110423,0,2858679.story)


This man should be dead by now.

[Morbid]

Phelps County, Missouri - The rape and murder trial of Chris Collings, 35, was set to start on Monday. Instead, Phelps County Judge Mary Sheffield declared a mistrial this morning because Collings’ prosecution and defense were unable to come up with a jury, even on a change of venue from Barry County and a two-year [...]

This article is from The Dreamin' Demon (http://www.dreamindemon.com), the Internet's self-appointed buzzkill.



More... (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDreaminDemon/~3/TQtgWRnqjmA/)

[princessgrandma]

This is WRONG in so many ways. WTF?

I mean, didn't he confess? How hard is it to fry his ass? Let's get it done already!

[Hellsbells]

David Spears' trial for murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford is delayed another 15 months


WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Someone kidnapped, raped and murdered 9-year-old Rowan Ford of Stella in November 2007. One of the two men charged for those crimes, David Spears, is now scheduled for trial in November 2012.

Circuit Judge Tracy Storie on Wednesday morning delayed Spears' trial from this coming August. He ruled the jury will be selected in Clay County, on the north side of Kansas City, starting on Oct. 30, 2012, with opening statements and evidence presentation starting on Nov. 5.

Spears was married to Rowan's mother, who divorced him after her daughter was killed and Spears was charged. The second man charged for Rowan's assault and murder is Chris Collings, a friend of Spears. Investigators think the two took the girl from her home to Collings' home in Barry County, where they raped and killed her. Her body turned up in a sinkhole or cave in McDonald County a week after her disappearance

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are determined to try Collings first. His trial is now set for next March 5 in Rolla, with jury selection starting Feb. 27 in Platte County, just to the west of Clay County. Last April, attorneys and the judge determined they couldn't find enough unbiased jurors in the Rolla area, and Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield declared a mistrial in Collings' first trial during the jury selection process, known as voir dire.

The inability to choose a jury in Rolla influenced Storie to decide not to try to select a jury here from Pulaski County, which is closer to Springfield and the extensive media coverage that the case has received than Rolla is. Defense attorneys filed a motion for a delay and a change of venue after Collings' mistrial.

Also Wednesday, prosecutors told Judge Storie that they don't plan to use as evidence some recordings of telephone conversations by Spears in the Barry County jail. Defense attorneys objected to the use of those recordings, which the judge previously said he would allow. Storie ruled defense attorneys' objections are now moot since prosecutors don't plan to use them at trialhttp://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-david-spears-trial-for-murder-of-9yearold-rowan-ford-is-delayed-another-15-months-20110615,0,5656202.story

[VXIII]

I dont get it, shouldnt there be DNA evidence? Wouldnt it just be so easy to test it, then fry the fuckers? All these delays and legal wrangling is just wasting time... I thought thats what DNA was for...

[walkingeagle]

I dont get it, shouldnt there be DNA evidence? Wouldnt it just be so easy to test it, then fry the fuckers? All these delays and legal wrangling is just wasting time... I thought thats what DNA was for... Milking the millions from the taxpayers! That is what they do!

[AngelFire]

How much longer do they want to delay this? Justice is long over due. Those two ugly mofos have breathed enough of our oxygen, now let's get rid of them.

[BlueAngel]

Another story where the mother's significant other perpetrates pure evil upon her child. At least this mother divorced this sack of pus and is not busily defending him, like so many others. It makes me sick that the trial has been delayed further.

[badfish76]

I just saw this on the news about an hour ago and I am beyond outraged.

[Hellsbells]

Court Date for Man Charged With 9-Year-Old Girl's Murder is Monday

(
Phelps County, MO) -- One of the two men charged in the brutal murder of a 9 year-old Stella, Missouri girl is expected in court Monday.
Chris Collings is charged with murdering Rowan Ford back in 2007.

Police say she was raped and murdered in Barry County.

Her body was found in a hole in McDonald County.

Collings is scheduled in court in Phelps County at 10 a.m. Monday morning.

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=565447

[Whisper]

Trial begins for 4-State man suspected of murdering 9 year old girl
March 12 2012

A murder trial gets underway for a Four State man accused of killing a nine year-old girl.

The defense for Christopher Collings, 37, does not deny he murdered nine year old Rowan Ford.

They are raising questions about whether the murder was premeditated.

That could determine if Collings will live or die since he faces the death penalty if convicted of first degree murder. His attorneys hope to get a conviction of second degree murder which would bring 10 to 30 years in prison.

Sheriff's deputies in Barry County, Missouri say in November 2007 Collings went to Ford's home in Newton County, Missouri.

Court documents say Ford was inside, asleep, alone, and Collings broke into the home, then took Ford to his home in nearby Barry County.
[...]
Police say Ford's stepfather, David Spears, denied knowing of any wrongdoing at first. But investigators say both he and Collings are on tape confessing to the rape and murder.

The defense claims Collings drank 30 wine coolers and had also smoked marijuana the night Ford was taken from her home.

Colling's case was moved out of Barry County to ensure a fair trial. It is being heard in Phelps County by jurors from Platte County.

Updated March 7, 2012: Jury selection is expected to finish today for the trial of a man accused of raping and killing a southwest Missouri girl.

In November 2007, the body of nine year old Rowan Ford of Stella was found in a cave in McDonald County a week after she disappeared.

Christopher Collings is one of two men charged in the case.

Last May a judge granted a mistrial and a change of venue.

For more than a week now lawyers for both sides have been deciding on a Jury in Platte County, Missouri.

Opening statements for the trial are set to begin on Monday in Rolla.

Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.

The second suspect in the trial is Rowan Ford's step-father, David Spears.

His trial is scheduled for this Fall.

Posted February 27, 2012: Jury selection is underway today for the trial of one of two men charged with the rape and murder of nine year old Rowan Ford of Stella, Missouri.

It's a murder trial that's been delayed for more than four years. Christopher Collings is charged in the rape and murder of Ford, whose body was found in a cave in McConald County in 2007.

Last May a judge in Phelps County ordered a mistrial because a jury could not be agreed upon.

Today jury selection is underway in Platt County near Kansas City.

Once selected the jury members will be transported to Phelps County for the trial.

The child's stepfather, David Spears, is also charged in the case. He was schedule to go to trial last August but was delayed more than a year. Spears should stand before a judge in October 2012.http://www.koamtv.com/story/17027289/trial-begins-for-4-state-man-suspected-of-murdering-9-year-old-girl



Collings' trial-Day 2, Jurors see pics of Rowan's body
March 13 2012

ROLLA, Mo.-- KY3 News in the courtroom for Day 2 of testimony in the case against Chris Collings. He is one of two men accused in the rape and murder of Rowan Ford, 9 years old.

Tuesday's testimony was mainly law officers, the deputies and FBI agents who were on scene in the days following Rowan's disappearance.

We did find out that Rowan referred to Chris Collings -- the man now accused of raping and murdering her -- as Uncle Chris.
It was two of the men she trusted most.
Her step-father David Spears and close family friend Chris Collings.

"Rowan Ford called him "Uncle Chris." He had babysat her a couple times for Spears, helped her with math homework," said one lawman who was on the scene of the crime.

Those two men are accused of taking her innocence and her life.

"Rowan loved Sunday school, riding the bike with her friends, helping out with the church, she was really into that, she loved singing, too," said Rowan's mom, Colleen Munson.

Munson sat in the front yard for a week, waiting for her daughter to come home.

"They're (Collings and Spears) the reason my daughter is not here," she said.

Both men confessed to taking Rowan from her bedroom on the night of November 2, 2007, raping her, and strangling her to death with a cord from a chicken coop.

Barry County Proseuctor Johnnie Cox says they admitted throwing her into a sinkhole in McDonald County-- her body was recovered a week later.

Collings defense team said in court it was never his plan to kill her, but that Rowan saw Collings while he was raping her, and didn't want her to be able to identify him to police-- and he just "freaked out."

Cox explained to jurors that Collings' had said it seemed like an hour to him until she quit moving. He put her in the bed of a truck, threw her in a hole, covered it with leaves, went back to his house, he saw blood on him, so he took off his clothes and hers, and burned them and the mattress. He laid there and stared at the ceiling.

Rowan's mom is hoping for justice, but realizing the closure of this case will never mean closure for her.

"What I wish for, I can't have. I wish it would have never happened, that's my biggest wish is that I didn't have to go through this, her sisters and brothers didn't have to go through this, because it's a daily thing missing her because she's not there," Colleen said.

Jurors Tuesday heard one deputy testify that as he lowered another lawman into the sinkhole to check to see if Rowan was there, he came back up, and he said "The color drained from his face when he looked back up at me. I then called my chief deputy and advised him we possibly found the body of Rowan Ford."

The state is expected to call 20 witnesses. It is unlikely Collings' himself would take the stand, but possible.

David Spears could be called as well.
In the coming days, jurors are expected to hear a videotaped confession from Collings.http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-collings-trialday-2-jurors-see-pics-of-rowans-body-20120313,0,3905608.story

[AngelFire]

This case hurt something awful. Two of the men that she trusted, two of them. She spent time with this Collins monster. The other her step father, UGH just kills you inside. She was sound asleep and they took her. Why wasn't a hooker a better choice then little Rowan??

These two must get their punishment ten folds and soon.

[Cape Town Girl]

While I admit Colleen is not as horrible as some of the "mothers" featured here, Rowan was neglected in the months leading up to her death by Colleen so I hope she is not going to try and portray herself as some sort of mother of the year nominee now.

[Whisper]

http://i43.tinypic.com/5k269w.jpg
Man accused of murdering 9-year-old Christopher Collings looks over his shoulder during his trial for first-degree murder in the Phelps County Circuit Court in Rolla. The trial began on Monday.

Rowan Ford's brief glance back at the man who had just raped her was all the prompting Christopher Collings needed to strangle the 9-year-old with a rope outside his trailer in rural Wheaton in the early hours of Nov. 3, 2007.

This description of Rowan's final minutes of life was offered as part of the opening statement presented by Barry County Prosecutor Johnnie Cox on Monday morning in the Phelps County Courthouse in Rolla.

The jury of five men and 11 women, who were transported to Rolla from Platte County north of Kansas City, listened attentively as Cox presented a time line of how the events surrounding the disappearance of Rowan unfolded during the week-long search for her body.

Cox also quoted Christopher Collings' own confession, stating that after a night of drinking, smoking pot and playing pool with friends Nathan Mahurin and David Spears, the defendant traveled back to Rowan's home in Stella and took the sleeping fourth grader from her bed to his travel trailer in Wheaton. There, Collings confessed he placed Rowan on his bed, took off her pajama bottoms and underwear and had sex with her "missionary style."

Cox then told the jurors that Collings led Rowan out the door of his trailer, and at some point outside, Collings said he believed she caught a glimpse of him and could therefore identify him.

"Christopher Collings then reached out and grabbed a cord -- a chicken house cord -- wrapped it around her throat and pulled it tight," said Cox. "He held it around her throat as she flopped around until she died. He then put her body in the bed of a pickup truck . . . and threw her body into Fox Cave sinkhole."

Upon returning home, Cox said Collings realized he had blood from Rowan on him, so he took his clothes and Rowan's clothes and the mattress and burned them all.

"After he'd burned everything, he said he went inside and stared at the ceiling," said Cox.

In the days after Rowan was reported missing, Collings twice returned to the home of Colleen and David Spears in Stella, offering to help Colleen search for her daughter.

"He indicated his willingness to do anything he can to find Rowan and help Mrs. Spears," said Cox.
But it wasn't until Nov. 9, the day law enforcement officers retrieved Rowan's dead body from the bottom of Fox Cave near Powell, that Collings confessed his crime to Wheaton Police Chief Clint Clark. Cox told the jurors how Collings and Clark met at the Muncy Bridge north of Wheaton, and Collings told Clark "what really happened."

Defense attorney Jan Zembles did not dispute Collings' confession in her opening statement. Instead, she spoke about Collings' frequent attempts to talk to Clark in the days after Rowan was first reported missing.

"As early as Monday, Nov. 5, Christopher Collings was seeking out Clint Clark who was a law enforcement officer and who Chris considered to be a good friend," said Zembles. "At that point, already, Chris was wanting to tell his good friend and law enforcement officer what Chris said was his version of what happened to Rowan Ford."

The statements made by Collings were also referenced by Zembles in her opening remarks. She noted that Collings consistently tells his interrogators when talking about Rowan's death that "I just flipped out. I freaked out. I was paranoid."

"He tells them he doesn't know why he went to David Spears' house to get Rowan Ford," said Zembles. "Mr. Collings consistently talks to the police in all these statements about how much he had to drink. He said he drank approximately 30 bottles of Smirnoff Ice and smoked a joint the size of his thumb."

Zembles also told the jurors how law enforcement officers pressed Collings about whether or not anyone else played a role in the rape and murder after David Spears confesses to Newton County authorities that he participated in the sexual assault and killing of his stepdaughter.

"In the second taped statement on Nov. 9, law enforcement expresses puzzlement. They're relentless in saying someone else was involved," said Zembles. "Then they begin telling Chris what is going on. That David Spears is telling almost the exact same story. Chris continues to insist he doesn't know what David Spears is doing. He is saying no one else is involved in this.

"Whoever actually killed Rowan Ford, and Christopher Collings said it was he . . . it was an intentional killing," continued Zembles. "We're arguing what was his state of mind? Was there clear reflection?"

Zembles ended her opening statement by telling the jurors that the defense would be asking them to return a verdict of murder in the second degree.

Cox is seeking a first degree murder conviction and the death penalty.

Throughout both opening statements, Collings, dressed in a lavender button-down shirt and tie, listened without expression.

Witness testimony

The trial continued in the afternoon with the prosecution's first three witnesses.

Cox put Rowan's mother, Colleen Spears, who now goes by Colleen Munson, on the stand first. At times crying, Munson recounted the night before Rowan disappeared, the week-long search for her daughter and the day she was told Rowan's body had been discovered in a nearby cave.

Munson said she left for her overnight shift at Walmart in Jane at around 8:30 p.m. on the night of Nov 2. Cox asked Munson how Rowan responded when Munson left for work that night.

"She came down the stairs and gave me a hug and a kiss and said 'I love you mommy,'" said Munson, choking back tears.

It wasn't until the next morning when Munson came home from work and her daughter was not there to greet her that Munson realized her daughter was missing. Munson said she found her husband, David Spears, asleep on the couch, and when asked where Rowan was, Spears said she probably went to a friend's house.

After searching parts of the neighborhood by foot and calling friends and teachers, Munson said David Spears finally called the Newton County Sheriff's Department to report Rowan missing at around 5:45 p.m.

When asked why she didn't call earlier, Munson said David Spears wouldn't let her use the phone.
Munson also testified that Spears never again spent another night in their home in Stella after Munson discovered he had left Rowan at home alone to take Collings back to his trailer in Wheaton. Munson later divorced Spears.

During the days leading up to the discovery of Rowan's body, Munson said she sat outside her home in the front yard on a chair "waiting for Rowan to come home." Munson said she was sitting outside when law enforcement officers arrived to inform her that Rowan's body had been found.

On cross examination, Zembles asked Munson if she had any reason to be concerned about leaving for work and leaving Rowan in the company of Spears, Collings and Mahurin.
"No" was Munson's one-word response.

Mahurin was the prosecution's second witness. A childhood friend of David Spears and a more recent acquaintance of Collings, Mahurin testified to partying with both men in the hours leading up to Rowan's rape and murder.

Mahurin told about meeting Spears and Collings at their work place between 5 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 2 and going with them to buy a goat. After delivering the goat to Collings' trailer in Wheaton, the threesome drove in Mahurin's car to Spears' house in Stella, stopping on the way to buy two or three six packs of Smirnoff Ice, a malt beverage.

The friends proceeded to play pool and drink in Spears' basement. At some point, Colleen Spears left for work, and Collings and Mahurin went to a convenience store in Stella and bought more alcohol.

Sometime later, Mahurin said Collings asked him to take him home to Wheaton, and he and Collings talked Spears into going with them, leaving Rowan alone in the house.

After stopping to buy another six pack of Smirnoff Ice, the three men went back to Collings' trailer and continued drinking and began smoking pot. At around 11:30 p.m., Mahurin said he needed to get home, and he and Spears left Collings' trailer together.
Mahurin said he was afraid of getting stopped by law enforcement so he took back roads from Wheaton to Stella. After dropping Spears back at home, Mahurin arrived at his house in Rocky Comfort at around midnight.

Based on Collings' confession, it was during Mahurin's back-road route home that Collings was able to drive straight along Highway A to the Spears' home and grab Rowan before Spears and Mahurin got there.

The final witness of the day was Chief Deputy Chris Jennings with the Newton County Sheriff's Department. The 31-year law enforcement veteran described receiving a call from David Spears on the evening of Nov. 3 reporting that his stepdaughter Rowan Ford was missing. Jennings also detailed the initial search process and how the FBI became involved in the investigation.

Jennings also testified about an informal interview he and other officers had with Collings in the parking lot of the Wheaton Cafe on Nov. 4.

Cox asked how Collings reacted when he was told Rowan was missing.

"He seemed concerned," said Jennings. "He was polite. He acted like he'd like to help if he could but he had no information."
[...]http://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/1825902.html

[AngelFire]

May he live always having to look over his shoulder for that Bitch Karma to show up and she will

[Whisper]

Wheaton police chief testifies in Rowan Ford murder trial

ROLLA, Mo. — Chris Collings initially thought he would throw Rowan Ford’s body off the Muncie Bridge before deciding instead to dispose of her at Fox Cave in McDonald County, the Wheaton police chief testified today.

Police Chief Clint Clark was called as a prosecution witness on the fourth day of the trial in Rolla.

Clark told the court how Collings sought him out in the days following the 9-year-old Stella girl’s disappearance, and how he gradually broke down and confessed to Clark on the day her body was recovered.

Clark said Collings finally confessed to him in detail at the Muncie Bridge where the two had gone to have a private talk together. The details included how he abducted the girl from her home while she was sleeping and took her to a camper-trailer on his property and raped her.

Collings, 37, told Clark how in the aftermath of the sexual assault he had tried to lead her out of his place with the intention of taking her back to her home. But the girl turned and looked at him and Collings feared she would be able to identify him. He decided then that he had to kill her.

After strangling her with a piece of cord he grabbed off a spool in the back of one of his trucks, he told Clark he decided he would throw her into the creek off the bridge a short distance from his home. He became concerned that someone would find her and decided instead to take her to the cave in McDonald County.

[...]http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1284938420/Wheaton-police-chief-testifies-in-Rowan-Ford-murder-trial

[Whisper]

[
B]March 14, 2012 [/B]
‘Facial trauma’ cited in Rowan Ford case
Jury sees numerous photos of body, defendant’s property

ROLLA, Mo. — Besides ligature marks on her neck, Rowan Ford’s body showed “significant facial trauma” and other injuries, an FBI agent testified Wednesday.

The testimony of Robert Stuart, a photographer for the evidence response team in the bureau’s Kansas City office at the time of the 9-year-old Stella girl’s rape and murder in 2007, was used by prosecutors to introduce a number of photographs into evidence on the third day of the Chris Collings trial in Phelps County Circuit Court in Rolla. The trial was moved to Rolla on a change of venue from Collings’ home county of Barry. Testimony will continue today.

Stuart took numerous photographs of the crime scene at the bottom of the cave in McDonald County where the girl’s body was recovered, and of Collings’ property east of Wheaton in Barry County, where her rape and murder allegedly took place.

Collings, 37, is charged with forcible and statutory rape and first-degree murder. He could be assessed the death penalty if convicted of the latter charge.

State public defender Janice Zembles indicated during opening statements on Monday that the defense intends to argue that their client’s state of mind at the time of the crime did not permit the premeditation or deliberation required for a capital-murder conviction.

Prosecutors Johnnie Cox and Elizabeth Bock spent the third day of the trial getting numerous photos and various materials admitted as evidence.

Some of the photos taken by Stuart showed the girl’s body at the bottom of the cave, which a prior witness estimated to be about 20 feet below ground surface. Stuart said the floor of the cave is conical, with the highest point being only about 10 to 15 feet below ground.

The body was lying in leaves and other debris beneath a rock overhang near the bottom of the lowest point of the sloping floor. There was a branch from a tree next to the body.

Her face appeared bloodied about the mouth and nose and her left knee showed what appeared to be a deep-tissue cut. No testimony has been offered as yet as to how those injuries were caused.

Similarly, the full relevance of many of the photos Stuart took of several buildings, vehicles and other items on Collings’ property remains to be established by testimony.

Cox said in opening statements that investigators believe Collings abducted the girl from her home in Stella and drove her to his place in his pickup truck. The prosecutor said the defendant sexually assaulted her inside as camper trailer and then strangled her with a piece of cord out of fear that she had seen his face and recognized him.

The prosecutor said Collings told investigators that he then disposed of her body in the cave and burned evidence at his property, including some clothes and the mattress on which the rape took place.

Among the photos Stuart took were ones showing a set of box springs with no mattress inside the camper trailer, a depleted spool for cord in the back of a silver pickup truck parked on the property, an outdoor wood-burning stove fashioned from a 55-gallon drum and another 55-gallon drum inside a shed that apparently had been used for burning.

Other photos admitted into evidence Wednesday showed a burn pile behind a dilapidated trailer home on the property and a piece of cord found in the burn pile.

That piece of cord became a bit of an issue during testimony in the afternoon by Chedrick Maggart, an administrative specialist with the FBI and a member of the evidence response team that collected material on Collings’ property the day the girl’s body was found.

Maggart was testifying as to the chain of custody of various items the prosecution was introducing into evidence when the opening of an envelope believed to contain the piece of cord found in the burn pile produced a surprise.

Instead of the cord, a canister and a smaller envelope fell out. That caused Cox to interrupt his examination of Maggart and to seek a consultation with defense counsel and the judge. Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield had the jury removed from the courtroom prior to speaking with the attorneys, at first in her chambers and later back on record in the absence of the jury.

The canister contained what was marked as “clear fiber glass strands/debris” and the envelope a DNA swab presumably taken from those strands. Cox explained on record that Maggart could not testify as to the chain of custody of those two items since he had not put them in the bag.

He said the cord had been examined by Missouri State Highway Patrol crime lab technicians at the request of attorneys for David Spears, Ford’s stepfather, who is also charged with her rape and murder. He indicated that he would wait until the state crime lab examiners are called as witnesses before having them opened.

The prosecutor said the state has no evidence to tie that particular piece of cord to the girl’s murder, only that there was a piece of cord found in the burn pile.

Charles Moreland, co-counsel for Collings, objected to admission of the contents into evidence. He pointed out that in a pretrial deposition the state patrol evidence examiner said the bag did not contain a cord , just “clear fiber glass strands.” Moreland argued that admitting the items could be prejudicial to his client in that the jury was being led to infer there was nylon cord found in the burn pile.

Cox pointed out that the photos show an apparently intact cord.

[...]http://www.joplinglobe.com/crime_and_courts/x1690518535/-Facial-trauma-cited-in-Rowan-Ford-case

[Whisper]

March 16, 2012
Videotape confession presented in Rowan Ford case

ROLLA, Mo. — Prosecutors in Chris Collings’ murder trial this morning played the first of two videotaped confessions the defendant provided investigators on Nov. 9, 2007, seven days after the abduction, rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford.

In the interview, Collings tells then-Barry County investigator Robert Evenson and Clint Clark, Wheaton police chief, how he abducted the girl from her home in Stella, took her to his place near Wheaton and raped and killed her.

Collings told his interviewers that he had no intention of harming the girl when he left his home and drove back to her home in Stella. He denied having had any sexual urges towards her previously and said he did not begin to have any urges until possibly as he was on the way back to his place with her in his truck. Clark asked him on the tape about “weird thoughts” and “urges” he had told Clark he was having in a prior untaped interview.

Collings responded: “It felt like something was burning in my chest. I don’t know what it was. I could feel it but I couldn’t tell it what it was.”

He said it was “almost like heartburn.” Collings further maintained in the interview that he acted alone and that David Spears, who is also charged with the rape and murder of the girl, had nothing to do with the crime.

The interviewers spoke with him about his medical and psychiatric past. Collings acknowledged having been in a traffic accident when he was 19 and having been diagnosed with “rage issues” when he was 15. He also acknowledged a suicide attempt when he was 8 years old, telling investigators that he had put a rope around his neck and jumped from a tree. But the rope snapped, he said, and he was left with a rope burn around his neck for about a week.
[...]http://www.joplinglobe.com/crime_and_courts/x1284939565/Videotape-confession-presented-in-Rowan-Ford-case




Police Chief Clint Clark describes Chris Collings' confession to the rape and murder of Rowan Ford
Wheaton Police Chief Clint Clark says Chris Collings told him he raped and strangled Rowan Ford

ROLLA, Mo. - After days of viewing graphic pictures, jurors in a rape and murder trial heard graphic testimony. On Thursday, most of the more than eight hours of testimony focused on the confession of an accused killer. Chris Collings is one of two men on trial for the November 2007 rape and murder of Rowan Ford. The fourth grader lived in the small community of Stella in Barry County.
For Wheaton Police Chief Clint Clark, Thursday was a long and emotional day on the witness stand. Clark told jurors about the day a man he knew for 17 years confessed to the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl. When Ford went missing in November of 2007, Clark says Collings had sought him out on numerous occasions. Each time Clark met with him, he said Collings acted different -- like he had something he needed to get off his chest. After the two men agreed to talk near a bridge known as the Muncie bridge, Clark says Collings began to reveal details about the murder. “He said he pulled the blanket off of her and picked her up,” Clark said.

Clark testified that Collings told him he was drinking and smoking pot with Ford’s step-dad, David Spears, and another man the night she disappeared. Clark says Collings separated from the other men late that night. He says Collings purposefully sped to Spear’s home to take the girl while no one was there. Her mother was working an overnight shift stocking shelves at a nearby Wal-Mart.

[...]http://www.kspr.com/news/kspr-video-chris-collings-murder-trial-day-four-police-chief-describes-collings-confession-to-the-rape-and-murder-of-rowan-ford-20120315,0,4958876.story

[Whisper]

Rowan Ford’s stepfather invokes Fifth Amendment at Collings trial
March 17, 2012

ROLLA, Mo. — Rowan Ford’s stepfather, David Spears, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights today when called as a witness by the defense in the capital-murder trial of co-defendant Chris Collings.

The defense’s calling of David Spears, 29, to testify in the Collings trial in Rolla was not particularly surprising. Nor was his invoking of the constitutional protection against self-incrimination.

What was surprising was that Spears was called out of order by the defense in the midst of the state’s presentation of its case against Collings, 37, and on a day when testimony was expected to be limited to the calling of technicians to lay foundation for the admittance of various evidence.

Prosecutors Johnnie Cox and Elizabeth Bock agreed to the interruption to customary trial order to accommodate Collings’ defense with respect to the availability of Spears and his attorney. Spears, who appeared with attorney Sharon Turlington, was sworn in as a witness without the jurors for the Collings trial being present in the courtroom.

After identifying himself at the request of Charles Moreland, an attorney for Collings, Spears answered each question from Moreland: “I am taking the Fifth Amendment right on the advice of my attorney and will answer all questions in this manner.”

Moreland consequently sought and obtained a finding from Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield that Spears had made himself unavailable as a witness by invoking the Fifth.

Collings and Spears are charged with forcible and statutory rape and first-degree murder in the 2007 death of the 9-year-old Ford girl, who was abducted from her home in Stella in the middle of the night. Her body was recovered a week later from a cave in McDonald County.
[...]http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x426443731/Rowan-Ford-s-stepfather-invokes-Fifth-Amendment-at-Collings-trial

[4Cats]

Collings and Spears are charged with forcible and statutory rape and first-degree murder in the 2007 death of the 9-year-old Ford girl, who was abducted from her home in Stella in the middle of the night. Her body was recovered a week later from a cave in McDonald County.
[...] http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x42...Collings-trial (http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x426443731/Rowan-Ford-s-stepfather-invokes-Fifth-Amendment-at-Collings-trial)
anyone know why the statutory rapecharge? Is forcible rape terminology specific to this state, is it different to rape? Also, was there any DNA evidence?

My heart breaks for Rowan. I hope she gets justice.

[Rockin Ma]

Rowan Ford’s stepfather invokes Fifth Amendment at Collings trial

surprise surprise :/

[Whisper]

Spears mum on witness stand in Collings trial

http://i40.tinypic.com/33dl7jn.jpg
David Spears took the stand in the Chris Collings murder trial Friday. Both are charged with the murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford in 2007 but are being tried separately

Neosho, Mo. —
One of two men suspected of raping and killing 9-year-old Rowan Ford of Stella in November 2007 took the stand Saturday morning, but ended up not saying anything, according to updates posted by KSPR-TV.

David Spears was called as a defense witness in the trial of Christopher Collings, which is being held at the Phelps County Courthouse in Rolla on a change of venue from Barry County. Spears and Collings are accused of raping and killing the Triway Elementary student at Collings’ home in Wheaton, then dumping her body in a sinkhole in eastern McDonald County.
[...]http://www.neoshodailynews.com/news/x299887571/Spears-mum-on-witness-stand-in-Collings-trial


What a disgusting fat fucking puke to have on top of you especially a child

[badfish76]

I've been reading the reports daily and I must say I find the coverage lacking. At least the trial is finally on.

One of the TV reporters said that Spears looks dramatically different.

I would think so considering that they only serve baloney sandwiches at the jails around here.

[Whisper]

March 19, 2012
Judge allows autopsy photos in Rowan Ford murder trial

ROLLA, Mo. — The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on 9-year old Rowan Ford, four and half years ago, testified Monday at Chris Collings trial on Monday that her body had a number of injuries sustained both before and after her death.

Keith Norton of Southwest Missouri Forensics in Springfield, said injuries to the Stella girl’s mouth and jaw could have taken place before or after death. Norton said the girl’s front four upper teeth had been knocked up and out and were missing. Norton said the same blunt force trauma that knocked the teeth broke her jaw bone and caused injury to her gums.

The medical examiner said a scrape in front of her right ear and an abrasion and bruise on her left forearm were injuries suffered prior to death. Norton also described significant trauma indicative of brutal rape.

[...]
Attorneys for Collings, 37, of Wheaton, who is being tried of charges of forcible and statutory rape and first-degree murder, objected to the admission into evidence of many of the autopsy photos that prosecutors introduced with Norton’s testimoney. Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield admitted all the photos over the objections of the defense.http://www.joplinglobe.com/crime_and_courts/x2029130976/Judge-allows-autopsy-photos-in-Rowan-Ford-murder-trial

[Whisper]

March 20, 2012
State rests in Rowan Ford murder case
Defense declines to present evidence, testimony

ROLLA, Mo. — The prosecution in the Chris Collings murder trial rested its case this morning, after presenting a final trace evidence witness.

The completion of the state’s case today came as a surprise, since prosecutors had indicated on Friday that they thought their case would last throughout the day.

The time frame for the trial appeared to be shortened when the defense announced a few minutes later they would not be presenting any evidence or testimony.

The announcement of that strategy by defense attorneys Janice Zembles and Charles Moreland was followed by an inquiry of the defendant by Circuit Judge Mary Sheffield regarding his concurrence with the advice of his attorneys not to testify.

Collings, of Wheaton, responded that he was in agreement.

The case would appear to be headed to jury deliberation either later this morning or early this afternoon.

If the defendant is convicted, a punishment phase of the trial would follow.
[,,,]http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x1862284045/State-rests-in-Rowan-Ford-murder-case

[Rockin Ma]

Rowan Ford’s stepfather invokes Fifth Amendment at Collings trial

Something I learned today is that the jury will never know this if the rule is the same as it is here.

Imagine for a moment if you are on a jury and a witness does that on the stand in front of you. Immediate doubt created right there.

[badfish76]

The Jury has found Collings GUILTY of murder one!
http://www.koamtv.com/story/17027289/trial-begins-for-4-state-man-suspected-of-murdering-9-year-old-girl

[badfish76]

The defense practically did the prosecutions job in closing arguments by asking the jury to consider Collings' state of mind considering that in his admissible confession he said he killed her because she turned around and was then able to identify him.

Add to that the fact that he hit her in the face so hard he knocked all four front teeth up and out AND broke her jaw. He also raped her in a manner that left her with significant trauma and that one of the forensic experts testified that it would have taken about 12 mins. of strangulation with that cord or twine for Rowan's brain to start dying and her body to shut down.

I don't think there is anyway the jury will decide he deserves less than death in the sentencing phase.

ETA: Deliberations began at 5:05 PM.

[badfish76]

ROLLA, MO -
It took jurors around 4 hours to convict Chris Collings for the 2007 abduction, rape and murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford of Stella.

Before returning the guilty verdict, jurors requested pieces of evidence and Collings' taped confession be brought back to the jury room.

The prosecution and defense rested their cases Tuesday morning. Closing arguments began just after 3pm, and the case went to the jury at 5:05pm.



In their closing arguments, prosecutors -- including Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Bock -- walked jurors back through the first seven days of the case day by day.

The defense, on the other hand, spent a lot of time asking jurors to consider Christopher Collings' state of mind in the moments before he killed Rowan Ford.

http://http://fourstateshomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=265912

[navsec]

While I admit Colleen is not as horrible as some of the "mothers" featured here, Rowan was neglected in the months leading up to her death by Colleen so I hope she is not going to try and portray herself as some sort of mother of the year nominee now.

yeah from what I remember Rowan was being molested for a while before the murder and even took to sleeping in Colleen's car to escape the abuse. Colleen was completely neglectful. I believe her neglect sent a silent message to Spears and Collings that no one is watching out for Rowan, no one values Rowan very much.

Then there's the fact that she chose to associate and bring these monsters into her home. I don't buy into this shit about "oh I never knew he was like that, it took me completely by surprise." I'm not saying it's impossible to be fooled but my hunch is you could spend 15 minutes with Spears or Collings and know immediately that they're a couple of dirtbags who shouldn't be anywhere near your kids/family.

I guess what I'm saying is, fuck you Colleen Munson.

[sheevaa]

Okay, I'm not really familiar with this case. I did read through what is on here. Can someone tell me how Spears is in all this? Just from Collings confession, he says Spears was not there, but everywhere else seems to say he was.

Can anyone clear that up for me? Thanks.

[penelopejo]

They were both there. They both raped her. They both claim the other killed her with the cord. On the FP write-up from years ago, there is a better explanation of how it went down.

There are multiple write-ups, but these two were the earliest ones:

http://www.dreamindemon.com/2007/11/06/rowan-ford-9-missing-stepfather-uncooperative/
http://www.dreamindemon.com/2007/11/10/david-spears-chris-collings-arrested-in-death-of-rowan-ford/

[badfish76]

Sentencing hearing is proceeding today.


10:00 am ROLLA, MO- Jurors began hearing testimony this morning that will help them make their decision on the fate of Christopher Collings. Yesterday, they found Collings guilty of First Degree Murder.

The state has begun making their case for the death penalty. The two possible options the jury has to choose from are life in prison without the possibility of parole or death.


11:00 am- The defense team is telling jurors there are mitigating circumstances that should be considered when weighing his punishment, including the fact that he confessed to the crime, that Rowan Ford's step-father David Spears has also confessed to the same crime, and the events of his childhood.


11:10 am- Defense is going deeper into Collings' childhood, saying the behavior of his birth patents, who both spent time in jail for various crimes, caused an "attachment disorder" that began at a very young age, and to this day has never been treated. They're also claiming collings was a "problem child," and may have had a series of fevers that lead to convulsions, potentially affecting his brain.



11:15 am-Rowan Ford's mother, Colleen, just finises giving some of the most emotional testimony of the Chris Collings murder trial. Crying, Colleen to jurors it's "not been much of a life" since Rowan died, and that she thinks of Rowan often.

Then she should have gotten the monsters out of her house or sent Rowan elsewhere. I believe that Collings was either already molesting her when he was living with them or grooming the hell out of her. He and Spears may even have been sharing her. Rowan would go to school as early as possible to got out of there and allegedly slept in her mother's car at night while she worked at Wal-Mart. How fucking blind do you have to be to not think something is going on????


11:30 am- One of Rowan's fourth grade teachers just finished testifying about how much the loss of Rowan meant to the teachers and students at her school. The judge then ordered a 15 minute break, the first since court resumed this morning.


12:00pm -Todd Holt, one of Rowan's teachers describes her as "a perfect student." The kind of student that every teacher wishes for. Holt became very emotional saying that he "blames himself," and that even years later, the memory of Rowan still haunts him.
Mr. Holt, maybe you should have called, but if she was top notch in school and had no obvious signs of abuse it may not have helped anything. This is simply heartbreaking to me that THIS teacher expresses that he feels at fault for this but her mother only "thinks of her often."

http://http://fourstateshomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=266432

[4Cats]

Then she should have gotten the monsters out of her house or sent Rowan elsewhere. I believe that Collings was either already molesting her when he was living with them or grooming the hell out of her. He and Spears may even have been sharing her. Rowan would go to school as early as possible to got out of there and allegedly slept in her mother's car at night while she worked at Wal-Mart. How fucking blind do you have to be to not think something is going on????

Mr. Holt, maybe you should have called, but if she was top notch in school and had no obvious signs of abuse it may not have helped anything. This is simply heartbreaking to me that THIS teacher expresses that he feels at fault for this but her mother only "thinks of her often."
http://http://fourstateshomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=266432

I think you are spot on. I also think, the best intentioned people (such as this teacher) often miss signs, especially if not too obvious. And mother's tend to bathe themselves in denial. At least in my experience.

[Morbid]

Rolla, MO – Remember Rowan Ford? If you don’t, maybe you haven’t been here in awhile. Or maybe it’s been so long since the nine-year-old’s murder in 2007 that you forgot. I’d forgive you if you blocked it out from trauma – Rowan’s murder was heinous. Long story short, Chris Collings (who is 6’6″) and Rowan’s stepdad David Spears (who’s six feet wide, give or take) thought it would be really fun to pull a train on a nine year old girl. Then one or both of the men garroted Rowan with a cord and dumped her body down a cave entrance, where she laid half-clothed and decomposing for nearly a week. Nice, huh? NO. Collings has admitted to abducting Rowan from her bed and taking her to a trailer, where he raped and killed the child. Spears has also admitted to raping and killing Rowan, which is a slick strategy if you like defense maneuvers for later appeals. This week, a Phelps County jury finally convicted Christopher Collings of first-degree murder for killing Rowan during the commission of statutory rape. This means that Collings, a giant d-bag who kind of looks like a penis, is eligible for the death penalty. Please take a moment and praise the celestial being of your imaginary choice. Collings was on his second attempt to seat a jury in his second trial in his second change of venue, because the crime was committed over two counties and moved to a third before landing in Phelps County’s lap in 2008.* Last year, Phelps County couldn’t seat a jury.* This year, they almost didn’t.* It took more than four years for Rowan’s pixie face to fade, even though the crime occurred several hours away. Today, I’d like to thank the men and women of Phelps County. Rolla, you rock. It’s about time, and it was a tough trial, with graphic descriptions and autopsy photos and a defense who couldn’t deny what had been done to a little girl. Rowan’s mother Colleen Spears Munson, was present for the entire trial. The penalty phase is already in progress. And no matter what your views on the politics or ethics of the death penalty, I can’t think of many cases that deserve it more than this one.* Killing Christopher Collings isn’t about getting justice for a child that’s already dead – it’s about keeping that bastard from breathing otherKeep Reading...
This article is from The Dreamin' Demon, the Internet's self-appointed buzzkill.


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[badfish76]

Via KODE and the KSN Facebook pages Collings got the death penalty. Jury took less than 1 hour.

Links to come.

[LadyCygnet]

ROLLA, Mo. — A jury took only 48 minutes Friday night to assess the death penalty against Chris Collings, of Wheaton, in the 2007 murder of 9-year-old Rowan Ford, of Stella.


http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x1560865463/Death-penalty-assessed-against-Chris-Collings-in-Rowan-Ford-murder

Pardon my French, but FUCK YEAH!

[Morbid]

Rolla, MO - * Well, praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. A Phelps County jury has recommended the death penalty for Christopher Collings, who killed nine-year-old Rowan Ford in 2007.* Yesterday at 6:17 p.m., the jury returned the verdict after forty-eight minutes of deliberation.* Can I get an amen up in here? Rowan Damia Ford was a sweet nine-year-old who made As and Bs in school even though sometimes her teachers had to make sure she ate. She helped with the Angel Food ministry at her church, and often arrived there hours early on Sunday, even though nobody else in her house went.* She was happy on her bike, riding around town. She liked Disney princesses, spaghetti and the color purple. Rowan was 3’11″ tall and weighed 62 pounds, with long, wavy brown hair, big brown eyes, and freckles across her nose. Rowan did not need to die. It won’t help us to go over the details of the brutal rape and the strangulation that ended Rowan’s life.* It’s enough to know that she would likely have bled to death, but instead she got a cord around her neck and a horrific end in a dirty trailer.* Rowan was found dumped into a hole that led to a cave, half naked, because Collings and Rowan’s own stepfather, David Spears, are the worst kind of pedophile baby-killers imaginable. The jurors were bussed in from Platte County, sequestered in Phelps County to hear a Barry County prosecutor talk about a little girl from Newton County who was dumped in McDonald County. They did an admirable job. The message to Collings? “Mercy is something given by the powerful to the weak and innocent,” said Prosecutor Johnnie Cox.* The jury found Collings neither weak or innocent.* Rowan’s mother Colleen Munson left the courtroom without speaking with reporters, but her sister Ariane said she was happy with the verdict. Christopher Collings is scheduled for sentencing on May 11. I plan to be there, just so I can look at that rat bastard when Missouri tells him to go die.* Just like he told Rowan.  
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[badfish76]

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Christopher Collings was found guilty in March by a jury in Rolla, Missouri, where the case had been moved on a change of venue. The same jury, chosen in Platte County, recommended the death penalty. A judge formally sentenced him May 11.

Monday, July 23, attorneys for Collings filed a Notice of Appeal of the death penalty with the Missouri Supreme Court. Under Missouri law, such appeals are automatic in capital punishment cases.

Online court records do not show a hearing date set yet for the appeal.
...

http://http://fourstateshomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=303802

[Jerri Blank]

Stepdad of murdered girl pleads to lesser charges

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after reaching a plea agreement in the death of his 9-year-old stepdaughter.

David Spears, 29, pleaded guilty Wednesday to child endangerment and hindering prosecution charges in the 2007 death of his stepdaughter, Rowan Ford, The Joplin Globe reported (http://bit.ly/SlQuja ). As part of the plea deal, Barry County prosecutors dismissed first-degree murder and rape charges against Spears.

A second defendant, Christopher Collings, 37, of Wheaton, was convicted on rape and murder charges and sentenced to death earlier this year for the child's death. His execution date hasn't been set.

Collings repeatedly confessed to the abduction, rape and slaying of the child, and has said that he alone sexually assaulted and strangled the girl at his home near Wheaton.

Barry County Prosecutor Johnny Cox said in a statement Wednesday that his office agreed to dismiss the first-degree murder and rape charges against Spears because the physical evidence failed to implicate him or was inconsistent with statements Spears made to investigators.

Spears was sentenced to seven years in prison on the child endangerment charge and four years on the hindering prosecution charge. The sentences are to run consecutively.

Ford disappeared from her home in the Newton County village of Stella while her mother was working a night shift. An intensive weeklong search ended when her body was found in a cave about 10 miles south in neighboring McDonald County.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stepdad-of-murdered-girl-pleads-to-lesser-charges-3896342.php

[badfish76]

Goddamn sonofabitch cocksucker motherfucker cockbiting dirty asshole piece of shit!!

Fuck shit piss cunt dick FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!

11 years?!?!?!?!!!! WTF????

[Coyote]

This was my reaction too. I’m wondering how many people are going to be there waiting when that cocksucker gets out. Imagine how Chris Collings family feels.

Someone needs to give little Rowan the justice she so deserved when she was alive, and way past due now that she’s not.

[Mutxo]

I can't say it better than Badfish but reading this article, I understand better that decision:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/crime_and_courts/x766442788/Murder-rape-charges-dropped-against-David-Spears

Quote from the article, BBM:

“This would put the state in a position of arguing inconsistent theories of who actually strangled Rowan Ford,” Cox said. “The state would have to argue that both versions are true, even if they both cannot be true.”...“Without physical evidence that is consistent with David Spears’ statement, the state cannot and will not pursue a course of action that would put the Christopher Collings conviction at risk,” Cox said.


I don't feel justice has been served but would it be worse if Collins conviction was overturned? I have mixed feelings about it, may be it was the best decision to take.

[Killroy]

http://dreamindemonwp.dreamindemon.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Rowan-Ford-2-125x188.jpgWAYNESVILLE,*MO*-*It’s been almost five years since I first reported on 9-year-old Rowan Ford. At the time, she was just a missing girl from Missouri whose step-father was not being cooperative with police. I didn’t know it at the time, but the details of what happened to that little girl would end up haunting me to this day and not be resolved until almost five years later.
Three days after I posted that article in 2007, Rowan’s battered body was located in a sinkhole where she had been dumped after having been raped and strangled to death. The day after, police would arrest Rowan’s step-father, David Spears (who had previously been on the news pleading for her safe return), and his friend, Chris Collings. Police would charge them both with Rowan’s rape and murder after*Collings would admit to acting alone in abducting, raping and strangling Rowan, while Spears would admit to participating in the rape of Rowan and being the one who strangled her to death.
One year later, these two men still had not stood trial and*Impqueen wrote up a great article*that summed up everything we knew about the case up until then. I highly recommend you check out if you are not familiar with this case as it has a lot of details I’m not going over here.…

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[badfish76]

I get why they did it, but I wish there was more or better charges They could have stuck him with. RAWR!!

[navsec]

"I am completely aware that the general public is convinced that David Spears was involved. I am also completely aware that the general public wants to see him receive punishment for his alleged involvement. I am also aware that this is a horrific crime involving the most innocent of victims that any prosecutor will ever encounter," Cox wrote in a three-page statement detailing the decision to drop murder and rape charges against Spears.

"This type of crime should outrage everyone, I was outraged when I first heard about it. However, as a prosecutor I am a minister of justice and must do what the law requires, what the facts require and what fairness and justice require. A prosecutor's duty is not to just seek convictions or win cases but to see that justice is done. Only the prosecutor and the judge have this duty in the legal system.

"I have very serious concerns about David Spears' statement in light of the new evidence and the steady accumulation of evidence inconsistent with David Spears' statement. I don't know why David Spears told law enforcement he was involved. I do know that Christopher Collings adamantly denied David Spears' involvement," Cox wrote. "And I do know that there isn't any physical evidence to support David Spears' version of what happened."

On Wednesday, defense attorneys and prosecutors were vague about whether Spears was with Collings when Collings raped and killed Rowan at his mobile home near Wheaton in Barry County.

"He was convinced he drank too much, he couldn't remember what happened, so he filled in the blanks with information that was given to him by law enforcement," said Spears' attorney, Sharon Turlington, who says it's a scientific principle known as confabulation.

In his guilty pleas, Spears admitted to leaving Rowan alone at the family's home while he went drinking with some buddies. He also admitted he told another man to lie to law enforcement officials about why he left Rowan alone at the home. The seven-year and four-year sentences are the maximum penalties for those two crimes.

"Yes, it is a relief for him. He's very sad about what happened, but he is thankful he doesn't have to go to trial. He doesn't have to put his family through this. He doesn't have to put Rowan's family, his ex-wife Colleen through a trial, and that he could take responsibility for the actions that he actually did," Turlington said.

Munson was in the courtroom on Wednesday but chose not to speak to reporters. Cox said in his statement that he talked to Rowan's family over the past several weeks after getting new evidence from labs that contradicted Spears' confession.

http://articles.ky3.com/2012-09-26/chris-collings_34109352

My guess is that if Spears wasn't actually there he knowingly left her alone for the sole purpose of allowing Collings to have access.

my speculation is that Collings told Spears he wanted to take Rowan's abuse to the next level and Spears wanted no part of it but said he would leave her alone that night