Callaway County cold case murder suspect waives arraignment, pleads not guilty

The Callaway County Justice Center is located in Fulton (undated photo courtesy of 13th Judicial Circuit of Missouri website)

A man from mid-Missouri’s Williamsburg accused of stabbing his wife to death more than 21 years ago has pleaded not guilty.

A Callaway County grand jury has indicted 64-year-old Harold Dickens for first degree murder for the 2002 stabbing death of his wife Debra. Online court records show Dickens waived formal arraignment on Monday before Judge Jeff Harris and pleaded not guilty.

Dickens appeared in court via video from the jail, where he’s being held without bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday morning in Fulton.

Dickens, who has ties to mid-Missouri’s Williamsburg and Auxvasse, has been indicted by a Callaway County grand jury for first degree murder. Dickens is being represented by public defender Kathryn Benson.

Callaway County prosecutor Ben Miller recently presented the case to the grand jury, which handed down a sealed indictment. The indictment was unsealed as soon as Harold Dickens was arrested.