Judge grants change of venue for 14-year-old accused of Bloomfield murder

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A judge in the Missouri Bootheel grants a change of venue in the case of a 14-year-old boy accused of first-degree murder.

Stoddard County Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp granted the venue change for Owen Welty of rural Bloomfield. The Missouri Supreme Court will determine the site for the trial.

Welty is charged with killing 64-year-old neighbor Don McCollough last November. Welty was 13 at the time and has been incarcerated since his arrest in November.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive.

Welty could face up to life in prison if convicted.

Experts have said Welty is schizophrenic and suffers from a depressive disorder with psychotic features that include hallucination and hearing demonic voices.

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Information from: Dexter Daily Statesman, http://www.dailystatesman.