Attorneys taking depositions, preparing witnesses in Wilfong case

A trial has not yet been scheduled in the case of 18-year-old Patton, Mo., man accused of killing his guardian last New Year's holiday, but attorneys in the case have begun taking depositions and preparing witnesses, said Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Gray.

John Wilfong faces charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action related to the Dec. 30 shooting death of his cousin and legal guardian, Pamela Ackman.

The case was transferred to Cape Girardeau County on a change of venue, and 35th Judicial Circuit Judge Joe Satterfield was appointed to handle the court proceedings. A review hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25.

Ackman was found dead in her Patton home Dec. 30. She suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head from a .22-caliber firearm.

The Cape Girardeau County-Bollinger County Major Case Squad was activated, and an overnight search led to the arrest of Wilfong. A 9-year-old boy who lived in the residence as a foster child was placed in custody of juvenile authorities.

When investigators located the two missing boys, they also recovered a .22-caliber rifle that belonged in the Ackmans' gun cabinet.

With juvenile matters, the county in which the juvenile's parents reside determines jurisdiction of the case, so the child was transferred to the 24th Judicial Circuit, said Randy Rhodes, chief juvenile officer for Cape Girardeau County.

Juvenile authorities refused to release any information as to whether the boy was charged because juvenile proceedings are generally closed to the public.

Gray said he never had any intention of certifying the child as an adult, though court documents indicated he may have acted as lookout for Wilfong while they waited for Ackman to return home.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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