Boone County judge assigned to high-profile Jefferson City murder/stalking case

The Missouri Supreme Court has assigned Boone County Circuit Judge Brouck Jacobs to a high-profile Jefferson City murder and stalking case.

Cole County prosecutors have charged 37-year-old Sergio Sayles with first degree murder, two other felonies and misdemeanor stalking for April’s gruesome stabbing death of Jasmine King, the mother of a toddler they shared together.

Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green was the original judge in this case. When Sayles requested a different judge, it was moved to Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem. Defense attorneys sought Judge Beetem’s recusal, claiming bias against Sayles for prior rulings regarding guardianship of the child. Judge Beetem then recused himself, and Judge Jacobs has been appointed. The Missouri Supreme Court issued a one-page order this week, assigning the case to Judge Jacobs.

Cole County prosecutor Locke Thompson is seeking the death penalty against Sayles, saying 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 Jefferson City Police Department’s graphic probable cause statement says the victim was stabbed in the head, face, neck, chest, torso and back.