Barlow pleads not guilty to murder; judge grants change of venue

~ The trial will either be moved to a different location or the jury will be brought in.

Lisa Barlow may not be tried within the circuit that includes Bollinger, Perry, and Cape Girardeau counties, and her jury could pulled be from as far away as Farmington.

At a motion hearing Friday, Barlow pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of her boyfriend, Michael Strong of Scopus, Mo.

Police found Strong, 49, shot to death in his residence around 11 p.m. July 27. Barlow was alone in the house she shared with Strong at the time and called 911 to say she heard intruders break in.

Evidence presented at a Sept. 28 preliminary hearing contradicted Barlow's story of a home invasion by showing an hour lapse between when a neighbor heard a gunshot fired and the 911 call. In addition, forensic evidence indicated that Strong was shot while he lay on the sofa in a reclining position, not arguing with burglars.

District public defender Chris Davis argued for the change of venue due to "overwhelming coverage by the Southeast Missourian and KFVS12."

Davis requested the case be placed somewhere outside the KFVS12 coverage area.

Bollinger County prosecutor Stephen Gray did not oppose the request to relocate the case, but the attorneys failed to agree on how to go about moving the case.

Circuit Judge William L. Syler agreed that the case received a great deal of local media attention and granted the change of venue.

Where Barlow's trial will end up is another matter.

Syler suggested either moving the case to another district, such as Butler County, where he would let a judge from that county handle the proceedings, or trying the case in Cape Girardeau but selecting a jury from another location, which would still qualify as a change of venue.

The latter option means Bollinger County might have to foot the bill in reimbursing jury members for mileage and hotel costs, which Syler estimated could be up to $1,500 per day.

"I just can't see a whole lot of value in paying for 14 jury members to stay in Jackson as opposed to having three or four of us stay in hotel rooms," Gray said.

Davis said he wanted Syler to stay on as the trial judge, and the two attorneys took a break to discuss the change of venue issue in private, but returned with no decision.

Syler scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. Nov. 9 to decide on the matter and on a bond reduction Davis argued for on the grounds that Barlow has no prior criminal history.

Davis asked for a reduction from $500,000 cash only to $50,000 cash or surety. The state opposed the motion, Gray said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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