Police questioned over destruction of suspect’s car in Jefferson City murder trial
Marie Moyer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The destruction of suspected killer Sergio Sayles’ car was out of the Jefferson City Police Department’s hands, officers testified Wednesday during the bench trial for the murder of Jasmine King.
Sayles’ car, which was also his home at the time of King’s killing, has been a point of contention throughout the trial.
Before the trial began on Monday, the defense renewed a request to dismiss the case, arguing that Sayles’ car, evidence in the case, was destroyed after his arrest, but the judge denied this motion.
JCDP detective Lt. Steve Weaver testified Wednesday that police searched the car after it was transported to the station’s garage. Police were on the lookout for any items that could have been related to the case, like potential weapons or items with blood.
Weaver said DNA swabs and fingerprints were taken from the car.
JCPD detective Andrew Rogers also searched the car, taking photos of both the exterior and interior and any notable items that were pulled from the car.
“It contained a lot of stuff, very cluttered,” Rogers said.
Police ended up confiscating two pairs of jeans with possible stains and three pairs of shoes. Rogers added that the search felt “normal.”
When questioned about the destruction of the car, Weaver said the JCPD has no protocol or practice to notify the owner of a confiscated vehicle. Sayles’ car was removed by a towing company after Jeremy Bowman, the former JCPD detective who led Sayles’ case, deemed it that it was no evidence.
Weaver added that the towing company ultimately decides whether a vehicle is destroyed. The defense questioned Weaver about his knowledge of Sayles’ family contacting JCPD for Sayles’ car, to which he said he was not aware of the communication.
“It’s a case-by-case,” Weaver said. “To my knowledge, there is no policy about that, there is no practice about that.”
The defense also questioned detectives on the validity of a ring that connected Sayles to the crime. Bowman alleged Tuesday that the ring was collected from Sayles by an officer at the station when he was interrogated on April 10.
JCPD Evidence Technician Teresa Weaver later testified on Wednesday that the ring was recorded as evidence property on April 17, a week after it was allegedly collected.
Following Wednesday’s hearing, the defense motioned to dismiss the case, specifically for Sayles’ charge of first-degree murder, claiming the state did not have enough evidence of premeditation to prove Sayles was guilty.
The motion was later denied.
In April 2023, police found Jasmine King dead from multiple stab wounds in her home on West Ashley Street. Witness statements and surveillance video reportedly connected Sayles to the crime scene, and police recovered the murder weapon and some of Sayles’ belongings in a trash bag at McClung Park.
King had previously reported harassment and stalking by Sayles, including a complaint in 2021 where she alleged that Sayles threatened to shoot her.
Closing statements and Judge Brouck Jacobs’ decision are expected on Thursday.