Criminal proceedings for the suspect in a Monroe County murder have been transferred to Warren County Circuit Court.
Jerry B. Asbell, 30, of Hannibal, is charged with first-degree murder and two …
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Criminal proceedings for the suspect in a Monroe County murder have been transferred to Warren County Circuit Court.
Jerry B. Asbell, 30, of Hannibal, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action for the alleged killing of a Monroe City woman who was reported missing in August.
In a separate case also moved to Warren County, Asbell is charged with kidnapping, two counts of assault and three counts of armed criminal action.
Asbell requested in October that his cases be moved out of Monroe County and that he receive a change of judge. Such requests are regularly granted for high profile felony charges.
Asbell’s case will now be overseen by 12th Circuit Court Presiding Judge Jason H. Lamb. The prosecutor on the case is Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Talley Kendrick.
An initial review of the case in Warren County is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2021.
Asbell is charged with the Aug. 5 murder of Amanda Johnston, 32, of Monroe City, according to the Hannibal Courier Post. Johnston’s body was found in a Pike County ravine after a multi-day search. Asbell is alleged to have shot Johnston at a Monroe City cemetery after receiving a ride in her car.
In the kidnapping and assault case, the Courier Post reports that when Asbell was arrested, officers found an injured woman in the home where he was taken into custody.
One other person, Jessica Ellsworth, 37, of Monroe City, is charged with tampering with evidence for allegedly helping Asbell dispose of Johnston’s body. That case remains in Monroe County Circuit Court.
