COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - The child abuse trial of a Missouri man whom prosecutors call the prime suspect in the disappearance of his Chinese wife will remain in Boone County but the jury will be chosen in another county, a circuit judge has ruled.
Judge Brouck Jacobs ruled Monday that the jury for Joseph Elledge’s trial will be chosen outside central Missouri. The attorney for Elledge, who lives in Columbia, sought a change of venue because of extensive media coverage of the disappearance of Elledge’s wife.
No charges have been filed in the disappearance of Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, who hasn’t been seen since Oct. 8.
At Monday’s hearing, Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Knight said evidence in the child abuse and endangerment case would prove why Elledge is a primary suspect in his wife’s disappearance, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported.
Elledge is accused of striking their 1-year-old daughter. He is facing three felony child abuse counts. Jacobs delayed a decision on a request to drop one of the charges.
A trial is scheduled for Feb. 25 in Boone County.
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