Bowers case gets change of venue

Marcus Bowers, the Scott City man facing murder charges in a September killing, was granted a change of venue at a hearing Wednesday.

The case will be heard in Butler County.

Bowers, 18, is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the death of Stanley F. Hagan.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred Sept. 23. Bowers allegedly slammed Hagan's head into a mobile home tie-down stake. Hagan suffered injuries that led to his death five days later.

Authorities reported the death as an accident initially but continued to investigate, eventually launching a murder investigation. Then, on Jan. 3, a grand jury indicted Bowers for the murder.

Scott City police chief Don Cobb said previously that the secrecy of the investigation was necessary to protect witnesses and allow while authorities built a case against Bowers without tipping him off.

Bowers already faced pending charges in Scott County for child molestation. A March 19 hearing is scheduled for that case.

The Missouri Supreme Court assigned Judge Mark A. Richardson of Butler County to the case after Christopher L. Davis, Bowers' public defender, requested a change of judge and venue.

The next court appearance for Bowers will be at 10 a.m. March 18 in Butler County.

At that hearing, either Bowers will enter a plea or Richardson will set a trial date for the case.