Jury selection begins for Bloomfield boy accused of murder

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — Jury selection begins today in the trial of a boy who was 13 when he was charged with killing his Southeast Missouri neighbor.

Owen Welty has been in custody since his arrest in late 2006 in the death of 64-year-old Don McCollough near Bloomfield in Stoddard County. The case began Monday in St. Louis County on a change of venue.

Welty is one of the youngest defendants in the state to be tried for murder as an adult. Authorities say he and his father were hunting in the woods behind the properties on the day McCollough was shot. They say the boy gave conflicting stories that led them to believe he shot McCollough.

Experts say Welty is schizophrenic and suffers from a depressive disorder with psychotic features.