Trial of man accused of killing niece finishes second day of testimony

The trial of Lawrence Schanda for the murder of his niece, Jessi Wilfong, began Tuesday, Jan. 7, and continued Wednesday, Jan. 8, with closing arguments set for Thursday, Jan. 9.

Some of the witness testimony Tuesday included Wilfong’s mother, Katherine Wilfong, and Schanda’s girlfriend, Teresa Baumgartner, who is currently facing similar charges. Schanda is facing charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with evidence.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Angel Woodruff and the Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor’s Office’s Ethan Cooper are representing the state in the case, and attorney Jacob Zimmerman is defending Schanda.

Cooper said in his opening statement that a vehicle ride led to Jessi Wilfong’s death.

He said Schanda, 50, was growing paranoid because he thought Jessi Wilfong was relating information about drug activity to law enforcement. Cooper said Schanda believed Jessi’s earrings were bugged, and on the day of the murder, as he got agitated at his home, he hit her.

Cooper said Baumgartner witnessed the event. He said Jessi Wilfong even asked Baumgartner for help before Schanda stabbed her to death.

Cooper said Jessi Wilfong was found buried in a yard. He said authorities found cigarette butts with Schanda’s fingerprints on them at the scene.

Zimmerman contended Schanda was guilty of tampering with evidence, but not of armed criminal action or first-degree murder. He said Baumgartner killed Jessi Wilfong, saying she lied continually to the police and then slowly told them what allegedly happened.

The first witness called to the stand was Katherine Wilfong. She said she knew her daughter had struggled with methamphetamine use in the past. She said she reported her daughter missing in May before her daughter’s 21st birthday.

Baumgartner also took the stand and told the jury she knew Schanda when he was younger, but had moved in with Schanda after meeting through Facebook around a year before Jessi Wilfong died.

She said she had only been around Jessi Wilfong a few times. Baumgartner said she started doing methamphetamine shortly after losing her job and was using it daily at the time of Jessi Wilfong’s death.

Replying to one of Woodruff’s questions, Baumgartner said Schanda had been paranoid about Jessi Wilfong and thought she was a "snitch" for the police.

Baumgartner said Schanda went on a drive with Jessi Wilfong and when they came back, Schanda told Baumgartner he hit Jessi while in the car. Baumgartner said Schanda thought Jessi Wilfong’s earrings and necklace were bugged.

Baumgartner said Schanda kept questioning Jessi Wilfong about whether she was working for the police. Baumgartner said when she had to use the bathroom, Schanda followed her into the bathroom.

She said Schanda punched Wilfong in the jaw and ribs while questioning her. Baumgartner said as Jessi Wilfong stood up from the chair, Schanda put her in a headlock and started stabbing until she fell on the floor.

According to Baumgartner, Schanda asked Baumgartner whether she "was in or out" and after she agreed to cooperate, he told her they needed to start cleaning. She said they started putting everything in trash bags and ripped up carpets in the trailer where they lived.

Baumgartner said they burned evidence. She said an auger was rented on her debit card while Schanda was with her. Baumgartner said Schanda gave a man $20,000 as a down payment to purchase land.

Baumgartner said Schanda drilled a hole with the auger on the property.

Baumgartner admitted to lying to the police about what originally happened to Jessi Wilfong, but told police what happened after meeting with a lawyer.

Woodruff asked whether Baumgartner had any deals for her testimony in the case, and Baumgartner said she didn’t.

Zimmerman asked Baumgartner about her reluctance to inform police of what happened and repeated back to her saying, "You remained terrified for three weeks", and then played audio recordings of Baumgartner speaking to authorities for permission to do a controlled burn, all allegedly taking place after Jessi Wilfong died and before she told the police what allegedly happened.

After Zimmerman played the calls, he asked her, "You didn’t seem terrified, did you?"

He also asked why she would spend $20,000 of her own money on a property for a man she wanted to get away from.

Day 2

On the second day, witnesses included Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office detectives, a forensic pathologist and a forensic scientist.

Lester Wilfong — Jessi Wilfong’s father and Schanda’s brother — was questioned.

Lester Wilfong said he was close with his daughter and trusted his brother. He said he didn’t know Baumgartner and Schanda were doing methamphetamine.

Lester said once he figured out his daughter was missing, he asked Schanda about her whereabouts and his brother said she was no longer at his house. Lester Wilfong said he continually tried to contact Schanda to see where Jessi went. Lester said he begged his brother for information and described Schanda’s behavior as "erratic".

Lester Wilfong said that eventually his wife, Katherine, was contacted by a private investigator and received a tip that Schanda may have buried Jessi’s body. Wilfong said the information they received suggested the body may have been buried on a family friend’s land that Schanda had just bought.

The land was the same property Baumgartner said she and Schanda put $20,000 down on, during the first day of Schanda’s trial.

Lester Wilfong said he informed authorities of the information and met them there. He said police detectives noticed part of the dirt in the barn seemed to be disturbed and identified an auger in the shed. Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s detective Sgt. James Malugen did a soil probe test on the dirt.

Malugen said when the probe came out of the ground, they could smell the decomposition on it. He said when he and other officers started digging, they found a boot and socks, then carpet and blanket and found knives laid out side by side in the dirt.

Malugen said they found a tarp-wrapped body under all of the items. He said the body was identified to be Jessi’s by her tattoos.

Sheriff’s Office detective Robert Jenkins said he attended the autopsy, searched Schanda’s trailer for evidence and was also with Malugen when they dug up the body.

According to Jenkins, he found some blood spatter on the walls of Schanda’s trailer and took samples of it, as well as taking photos of the residence. Jenkins said they found cigarette butts on the ground at the barn where they found Jessi’s body and one on the ground where the body was found.

He described the hole that was dug for the body as around 4 1/2 to 5 feet deep. Jenkins said some things were hard to determine about the body because it had been so decomposed by the time it was found.

State Highway Patrol forensic scientist Diane Higgins screened for blood samples and conducted DNA testing on items found in the house and at Jessi’s burial site. She said there were some blood samples they were able to find consistent with Jessi’s DNA.

Higgins said there were swabs taken from both of Jessi’s parents, and used reverse parentage to test for Jessi’s DNA. She said there were some blood samples that were significant enough that they tested as a profile of a female and consistent to likely be Jessi’s.

Higgins also tested the cigarette butts found in and near the barn, and two inside the barn tested with male characteristics and consistent with Schanda’s DNA.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Russell Deidiker conducted the autopsy June 20, 2022. Deidiker said Jessi’s body was in a state of mild or moderate decomposition.

He said she suffered multiple sharp-forced injuries and said she also had defensive wounds. Deidiker said the decomposition progressed to where they weren’t able to tell what kind of knife was used to stab her.

Deidiker said Jessi Wilfong had approximately 20 stab wounds, with 10 to the left of her neck, and others in multiple places on the body. He said one of the stab wounds on the right side of her chest would have punctured a lung, causing a potentially fatal wound.

He said she also had a blunt-force injury to her back.

Zimmerman, Schanda’s defense attorney, asked Deidiker whether the blunt-force injury could have been caused by a fall and Deidiker said it could have been. Zimmerman also asked Higgins whether only the DNA of Baumgartner was found in a blood sample on a shower curtain, and Higgins said that was correct.

After the state wrapped up its witnesses, Schanda told Judge Scott Lipke he did not intend to testify. Zimmerman told Lipke the defense rested.

The court will reconvene for closing statements around 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson.