Jury finds Lawrence Schanda guilty of first-degree murder in three-day trial

The jury found Lawrence Schanda guilty on all three counts, including first-degree murder, Thursday, Jan. 9, in the trial of the accused murder of his niece Jessi Wilfong in May 2022.

After hearing both closing arguments, the jury deliberated for one hour and returned with a guilty verdict. The jury’s verdict said Schanda was guilty of one count of murder in the first-degree, one count of armed criminal action and one count of tampering with evidence.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Angel Woodruff and the Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor’s Office’s Ethan Cooper represented the State of Missouri, while attorney Jacob Zimmerman represented Schanda. Woodruff gave the state’s closing statement at the start of the third day of the trial.

Woodruff told the jury the question it had to face was who the killer was and who was the helper between Schanda and his girlfriend, Teresa Baumgartner. She said they not only had Baumgartner’s testimony to determine Schanda killed Wilfong, but three other testimonies the jury had heard during the trial that included John Hitt, Joseph Rhodes and Keith Todd.

Woodruff said Todd told the jury Schanda admitted to him that he killed a woman. Todd spoke to the jury on the second day of the trial when he recounted a story where Schanda told Todd he would give him information that would change his life.

Todd said Schanda told him “she” wouldn’t shut up about a murder and killed her. He said Schanda didn’t say the name of the person he killed. According to Todd, he waited to tell the authorities about Schanda admitting that to him until days before the trial.

Rhodes also spoke to the jury on the second day of the trial. Rhodes said he had known Schanda for a long time and mentioned Schanda told him he was worried about Wilfong and, the day after, he seemed paranoid about her.

Rhodes said he got a text from Baumgartner on the night Wilfong died saying it would be a good time to talk to Wilfong. Rhodes said once he saw the text, it was in the morning he went to see her, but Schanda told him Wilfong had left and he couldn’t come into the house because it was a mess.

Hitt testified on the first day of the trial. Hitt said Baumgartner showed up at his house on the night of Wilfong’s death and said Baumgartner had a stressful demeanor.

Woodruff said to the jury that Baumgartner was looking out for herself, but when she decided to get a lawyer to talk to law enforcement, it was probably one of the only smart things she did.

Woodruff said Schanda was absolutely calling the shots the whole time and the evidence pointed to him. She said Baumgartner would not be strong enough to kill Wilfong as Wilfong was around 5-foot-8, stronger and younger than the woman.

As Zimmerman made the defense’s closing statement, he said Baumgartner was a liar as she had lied to law enforcement multiple times. Zimmerman said she lied about being terrified of Schanda when he pointed out that Baumgartner called buying land with Schanda, after he killed his niece, an investment.

Zimmerman said Baumgartner claimed she was terrified to leave because of who Schanda was friends with. He said those friends never existed because of the fact no one gave him money while he was incarcerated.

Zimmerman also said something common between many of the testimonies was that they described Schanda’s relationship with Wilfong as close, but Baumgartner “flippantly” said they had a relationship when describing the two. Zimmerman said Baumgartner was jealous of how close they were, pointing to Rhodes’ testimony where he said Baumgartner was jealous.

Zimmerman also said Baumgartner was not a “weakling” and the only blood that was found at the house besides Wilfong’s was Baumgartner’s. He said Wilfong could have been sleeping or lying down when Baumgartner attacked her.

In Woodruff’s rebuttal, she said of course no one would give money to Schanda when he murdered his niece. Woodruff said she wished Wilfong would have been unconscious when she was killed but she fought back.

Schanda’s sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.