Welty trial pushed back

Following a Monday hearing, Judge William Syler decided that the process of jury selection for the case against Owen Welty, originally scheduled for later this month, will now begin in St. Louis on Sept. 19.

A pre-trial conference has been set for Monday, Sept. 22 with the trial set to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Syler blocked out the rest of the week for trial expecting it to last about three days.

Welty, 14, of rural Bloomfield, is charged with the Nov. 14, 2006 murder of 64-year-old Don McCollough at his farm east of Bloomfield.

Certified to stand trial as an adult in December 2006, he has since been incarcerated at the Stoddard County Jail. Upon a motion for change of venue this summer, Welty was transferred to the Cape Girardeau County Jail in Jackson where he sits on a $250,000 cash only bond.

He is facing charges of the Class A felony of First-Degree Murder and the unclassified felony of Armed Criminal Action.

Because of his age, Welty is not eligible for the death penalty. A June 2006 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court determined that sentencing a juvenile offender to death was unconstitutional even if the defendant is declared an adult.

He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

Welty is the son of Ronnie and Lori Welty of rural Bloomfield and attended Bloomfield Middle School prior to the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, when he began home schooling.

cnoles@dailystatesman.com