Scott City man's trial to take place as scheduled Aug. 20, 21

At a pretrial conference at the Butler County Courthouse on Tuesday, Circuit Judge Mark L. Richardson announced Marcus A. Bowers, an 18-year-old Scott County man charged with first-degree murder, will stand trial as scheduled.

The two-day jury trial is set for Aug. 20 and 21.

There were no pretrial motions or issues to be taken up at the hearing, so Richardson arranged for the clerk to summon a five-person jury pool for the trial.

Bowers faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Stanley Frank Hagan, 45, of Kelso, Mo., who died Sept. 28.

The injuries responsible for Hagan's death were caused when Bowers allegedly slammed the other man's head into a mobile home tie-down stake five days before Hagan died in the hospital.

Family members have said Hagan's death occurred as a direct result of an altercation he had with Bowers.

Hagan's death was reported as an accident, but authorities quietly investigated the incident throughout the fall and winter, arresting Bowers in January after a grand jury indicted him for the charges.

Bowers was already incarcerated in the Scott County Jail awaiting court for a pending child molestation case.

Jury trial in that case was set for 8 a.m. Sept. 3.

The molestation charges stem from accusations that Bowers had sex with a 14-year-old girl.

On Sept. 23, Bowers allegedly brought Hagan to a mobile home in Scott City, and Hagan was kicked out after a conflict inside the trailer.

Bowers then followed the 45-year-old man outside, where the incident allegedly occurred.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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