Jury hears audio confession at Scott City man's murder trial

NEW MADRID, Mo. — A jury Thursday heard a lengthy audio confession of a Scott City man charged with strangling his mother with a dog leash and burning her body Aug. 7, 2013.

The trial of Neil Howland Jr., 29, is being heard in New Madrid County on a change of venue from Scott County.

Howland is charged with first-degree murder, abandonment of a corpse, knowingly burning evidence, tampering with evidence and two counts of animal abuse.

In the hourlong audio recording, Howland said he was upset with his mother, Cynthia Canoy, for “taking up for” her husband, Jerry Canoy.

“I am tired of getting pushed to the sidelines,” he told officers.

Cynthia Canoy

He said he strangled his mother at the top of the stairs in the Canoy home in Scott City.

Later in the recording, Howland said, “I can’t believe I did that to my mom. ... I just lost it.”

Special prosecutor Morley Swingle told the jury Howland placed her body inside her SUV, along with her two pet dogs, drove into a cornfield south of Scott City and set the vehicle afire.

Swingle, who once served as Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney, now works as a prosecutor for the city of St. Louis.

Jeff Johnson, who served as a criminal investigator with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, witnessed the confession.

Johnson said Howland confessed to the crime Aug. 10, 2013, while being held as a suspect in the Scott County Jail in Benton, Missouri.

Under cross examination from assistant public defender Amy Metzinger Commean, Johnson said there is no direct physical evidence linking Howland to the crime. But he said officers before the confession suspected Howland committed the crime.

A portion of a burned dog leash was found in the home, officers testified.

Forensic pathologist Russell Deidiker, who performed the autopsy in Farmington, Missouri, on Aug. 8, 2013, said Cynthia Canoy’s body was “extensively burned.”

But an examination of her internal organs showed no soot in her airway. In addition, there was a lack of carbon monoxide in her blood, he testified.

Deidiker said the evidence indicated Canoy was dead before the fire occurred. But under cross examination, he said he can’t say definitively it was a homicide.

Jerry Canoy testified Howland and Howland’s then-girlfriend Tiffany Warner and their infant son moved into the Canoys’ Scott City home in the spring of 2013.

Jerry Canoy said Howland and Warner smoked marijuana. Warner also was taking methadone and then breast-feeding the baby, he said.

He told the jury the baby was not safe with Howland and Warner.

Steve Jarrell, who was a criminal investigator with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, helped investigate the case.

Jarrell said a partially burned dog leash was found in the fireplace of the Scott City home early in the investigation, before Howland confessed to the crime.

Jarrell said officers did not confiscate the burned leash but photographed it.

When officers later returned to the house, there was nothing left of the leash except a burned metal clasp, he said.

Small bones were found in the burned-out vehicle, but Jarrell said during cross examination there was no physical evidence to indicate whether the dogs were alive when the car was burned.

Swingle called 11 witnesses before resting his case.

The trial before Judge Fred Copeland will resume today with the defense presenting its case.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641