Biggs found guilty in Scott City killing

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- A Scott City, Mo., man was found guilty in the beating death of his cousin's lover by a jury Wednesday.

Gary Wayne Biggs, 36, was found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of 57-year-old Willie Mae Vasquez, whose body was found Aug. 9, 2000, in a shallow grave near the Mississippi River in Scott County. The jury of 10 women and two men found Biggs guilty of both charges after three and one-half hours of deliberations following the three-day trial.

Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell, whose deputies investigated the killing, said he was satisfied with the verdict.

"This was a very cruel murder," Ferrell said.

Charles "Scott" Biggs, Gary Biggs' 32-year-old cousin, testified in court that he had become fearful that his girlfriend would become aware of his sexual relations with Vasquez, who lived in Scott City. During a fishing trip on the banks of the Mississippi, the cousins decided to take Vasquez to the river to kill her.

After taking a hatchet from a relative's house, the cousins invited Vasquez to come with them to the river to fish. Gary Biggs struck Vasquez several times in the head with the hatchet and threatened to kill his cousin if he didn't hit her, Charles Biggs said in court.

Charles Biggs pleaded guilty to a lessor charge of second-degree murder in July in exchange for his testimony against his cousin.

Defense attorneys Chris Davis and Pat McMenamin questioned the timing of Charles Biggs' interview with investigators and when the victim's body was found, said Sgt. Jerry Bledsoe of the Scott County Sheriff's Department. Bledsoe, who testified in court Wednesday, said the attorneys suggested that Charles Biggs had delayed a requested meeting with officers by a day in order to place evidence at the scene of the crime that would make his cousin appear guilty.

"They tried to put it all back on Scott," Bledsoe said. "It really came down to whether the jury believed what Scott said, and since he implicated himself, it seems like they chose to believe him."

Gary Biggs is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3 before Circuit Judge Douglas Long of Pulaski County. The trial had been moved from Scott County on a change of venue.

Charles Biggs will be sentenced for second-degree murder Nov. 8 in Scott County as a part of his plea agreement.

thall@semissourian.com

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