Jury selected in murder trial of Scott City man

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Opening statements are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today in the first-degree murder trial of a Scott City, Mo., man charged with killing his cousin's 57-year-old lover.

A jury of 10 men and two women -- as well as one woman alternate -- were selected Monday in the first-degree murder trial of Gary Wayne Biggs. The case was moved to Pulaski County on a change of venue.

Biggs, 36, is being prosecuted by the Missouri Attorney General's office, and assistant attorney general Richard Hicks is handling the case. Jackson public defender Christopher Davis is representing Biggs.

Neither lawyer could be reached for comment. Attorney General's Office spokes-man Scott Holste said the death penalty is not being sought.

Biggs is charged the murder of Willie Mae Vasquez of Scott City, whose body was found Aug. 9, 2000, in a shallow grave near the Mississippi River in Scott County. She had been struck several times in the head with a hatchet and a shovel, police said.

Biggs is one of two cousins police believe were involved in murdering Vasquez on July 26, 2000. His cousin, Charles "Scott" Biggs, has already entered a plea to second-degree murder and is expected to testify at the trial.

Scott Biggs said he and the victim had been sexually involved and that he was afraid his girlfriend might find out. The cousins invited Vasquez to come fishing with them and after luring her to a deserted spot near the river, he said they killed her.