New judge assigned to Patton murder case

A new judge has been assigned in the case of a Patton, Mo., teen facing first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his cousin and legal guardian last December.

Stoddard County Associate Circuit Judge Joe Z. Satterfield was appointed to hear the case by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge Benjamin F. Lewis was originally slated to have the case, but public defender Amy Metzinger, attorney for John W. Wilfong, 17, requested a change of judge. The case was sent to the office of the state court administrator for reassignment.

Both the state and the defense counsel discussed the issue and agreed on Satterfield, suggesting the Stoddard County judge to the state court administrator, said Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Gray.

"Rather than wait on somebody neither side had ever heard of, we just talked about some local names of judges in the area," Gray said.

Metzinger also applied for a change of venue in the case, which would move it from Bollinger County. Gray said there was a verbal agreement between the defense and prosecution this week that the case would be moved to Cape Girardeau County.

Wilfong is charged with the murder of Pamela L. Ackman, whose husband found her slain in her Patton home Dec. 30, dead of multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

Investigators launched an overnight search for Wilfong and a 9-year-old who was a foster child staying with the Ackmans.

They were found the following morning at a residence in Marble Hill, Mo., and a .22-caliber rifle missing from the Ackmans' gun cabinet was also recovered.

The 9-year-old was transferred to the custody of juvenile authorities.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

388-3635

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