Morley Swingle to be guest commentator on truTV show

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle will be appearing on truTV's "Banfield & Ford" show this afternoon.

The show, which is slated to air noon to 2 p.m. today on truTV, formerly Court TV, features live trial coverage of high-profile criminal cases.

The show's anchors, Ashleigh Banfield and Jack Ford, provide legal information and trial updates during the two-hour program, giving viewers an "inside look" at the legal process, according to the channel.

As a guest commentator on the show, Swingle said he will provide legal insight during the show's trial coverage and speak about whatever trials are covered during the program.

One of Swingle's higher profile cases, that of Stephen Rios, was previously featured on "Banfield & Ford."

Swingle prosecuted the Boone County homicide case twice, both times resulting in convictions.

Rios was first tried in 2005 for the 2004 murder of Jesse Valencia, a 24-year-old prelaw student in Columbia, Mo.

Rios, a former Columbia police officer, had begun having an affair with Valencia, and Swingle had been appointed special prosecutor in the case.

The case went back to trial last December after the conviction was thrown out on appeal because the higher court ruled that hearsay statements from a witness during the original trial had been improperly admitted.

The case, which Swingle has said was difficult because it was based on circumstantial evidence, was featured on truTV the second time around.

Though Rios eventually admitted to the affair with Valencia, he maintained his innocence of the murder through both trials, Swingle said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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