Mid-Missouri prosecutor seeking death penalty in stalking/murder case

The prosecutor in mid-Missouri’s Cole County will seek the death penalty for the gruesome murder of a Jefferson City woman who was stabbed to death.

Prosecutor Locke Thompson has charged 36-year-old Sergio Sayles with first degree murder and stalking. Prosecutor Thompson’s court filing notes murder victim Jasmine King was a witness in the state’s prosecution of Sayles as a stalking suspect, and that she was killed as a result of her status as a witness.

The court has denied bond for Sayles, describing him as a flight risk and a danger to the community. Court documents allege that Sayles threatened to shoot the victim in the face and kill her in 2021, and that the victim feared for her safety at that time.

The Jefferson City Police Department’s probable cause statement says the victim was stabbed in the head, face, neck, chest, torso and back. Court documents indicate the victim’s body was covered in blood when she was discovered by family members. The death penalty filing from Prosecutor Thompson indicates the murder involved torture or depravity of mind.

ABC-17’s Nia Hinson from our news partner KMIZ reports Sayles’ attorney wants a judge to set bond for Sayles.

The last convicted murderer from Cole County to be sentenced to death was former firefighter David Hosier, who was convicted of the brutal 2009 killing of Angela Gilpin in Jefferson City. Her estranged husband, Rodney Gilpin, was also shot to death in the West Main apartment.