Stoddard County prosecuting attorney appointed special PA in July Pemiscot County homicide

The Circuit Court of Pemiscot County appointed Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver as Special P.A. in the prosecution of Elizabeth Bridges for her role in the July 10 homicide of Randy Thomas.

Oliver was appointed to the case Thursday because of the Pemiscot County Prosecuting Office "recusing themselves due to a conflict," according to a statement released Tuesday by Oliver's office.

"I appreciate the level of trust and confidence placed in me by the Pemiscot County Circuit Court to serve the interests of justice where their prosecutor is unable to serve," Oliver said in the release concerning the appointment.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13, according to the release, and Oliver stated he is currently reviewing the case file and considering filing additional charges.

Pemiscot County Sheriff's Office Capt. Michael Coleman, who has served in law enforcement for approximately 22 years, listed the following details of the case in the probable cause statement filed by the sheriff's office:

Coleman stated he has probable-cause to believe Elizabeth Paige Bridges, a 28-year-old Hayti, Missouri, woman, committed the crime of assault in the first-degree and armed criminal action in Pemiscot County.

Pemiscot County dispatch received a call of a person stabbed and possibly run over by a vehicle at about 11:25 p.m. July 10 at 507 E. McKinley St. in Hayti.

The caller also reported the suspect left in an unknown make or model black car.

Upon arrival, officers located a white male identified as Randy Thomas lying on the floor inside the residence suffering from multiple stab wounds.

The victim was pronounced dead from his injuries at approximately 12:06 a.m. July 11.

Once it was learned the victim died because of the injuries sustained, a homicide investigation was conducted and multiple individuals who were at the residence were taken to the Hayti Police Department where interviews were conducted with possible witnesses.

Two potential suspects were identified during the course of the interviews conducted: Jimmy and Elizabeth Bridges.

It was learned during interviews with witnesses the two potential suspects came to the residence at 507 E. McKinley St. in Hayti, and began causing a disturbance.

At some point during the disturbance, the female suspect got into an altercation with another female at the residence.

After this altercation, the male suspect then got into an altercation with the victim in the front yard of the residence.

During this altercation, witnesses stated the male subject pulled a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times.

After the victim was stabbed, the female driver of the vehicle, identified as Elizabeth Bridges, used the vehicle she was operating to strike the victim.

Once Jimmy and Elizabeth Bridges were identified as possibly being involved, a photo lineup was put together by the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Missouri Information Analysis Center.

Two witnesses positively identified Elizabeth Bridges from the photo lineup as being the female operating the vehicle and striking Thomas with the vehicle after he was stabbed multiple times.

During an interview conducted with Elizabeth Bridges on July 11 about the incident involving the death of Thomas, Bridges stated she was operating the vehicle and after her brother stabbed the victim, she and her brother got back into her vehicle. She then backed-up quickly, striking "a person" and then leaving the area.

When asked whether she knew she struck Thomas, Bridges stated she only knew she struck someone.

A criminal history check conducted on Bridges revealed previous convictions for second-degree felony assault in August 2020 in Pemiscot County, felony theft of a motor vehicle in Forsyth, Missouri in 2016 and felony possession of a controlled substance in Lawrence County in 2015.

The case's preliminary hearing will be held Sept. 13 before Pemiscot County Associate Circuit Judge William Carter.