Jefferson City murder suspect begins bench trial Monday
Marie Moyer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used to help research the background for this story.
A Jefferson City man accused of stabbing the mother of his child began his bench trial at the Boone County Courthouse on Monday.
Sergio Sayles, 39, faces charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with evidence and first-degree stalking related to the death of Jasmine King in April 2023.
During the trial, the state brought King’s foster mother, Deborah Luebbering, and several Jefferson City Police Department officers and detectives who worked on the case. Dashcam footage of Sayles’ arrest and the initial 911 call between Luebbering and King.
The state claimed that Sayles was guilty. Luebbering shared that King and Sayles’ relationship was on-and-off, with frequent fights and King calling whenever she wanted to leave Sayles.
“I thought he was controlling over her,” Leubbering said. “He always said she was allowed to talk to us, but she wasn’t allowed to talk to us.”
JCPD officers spoke on the details of the investigation. King was reportedly found in her apartment bedroom with 25 total stab wounds to her face, head, neck, torso and back. Neighbors reported seeing Sayles coming in and out of the apartment complex three days before her death.
John Lehman with the Jefferson City Police Department was contacted while off duty to help with the scene. Lehman described King’s injuries as “very severe” and “very deep”, adding that King had “defensive wounds.”
Officers also reported seeing Sayles going into a nearby park’s bathroom holding an unknown item in his hand and walking out without it. The bathroom was later searched twice following Sayles’ arrest, where police found a plastic bag in the trash can of the Women’s restroom. Inside the bag, police found a bloody knife, clothing that was seen on Sayles’ YouTube channel with Jasmine’s blood on it, a white shirt with Sayles’ DNA and a piece of paper that had Sayles’ phone number written on it.
“The evidence in this case is overwhelming that Mr. Sayles killed King,” Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Locke Thompson, who was representing the state.
Sayles initially filed a notice to represent himself and requested a jury trial, but he has since retracted that decision, opting to keep his lawyer and proceed with a bench trial.
The defense also 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 as well.
The defense claimed that Sayles did not commit premeditated murder, adding that Sayles and King were bonded due to being in the foster care system together. They also claimed that the poor handling of potential evidence weakens the case.
The defense reported that no blood was found inside of Sayles’ car. Samples of fingernails and fingerprints that were found were also not sent to the lab to be processed. The defense also claimed that the police did not investigate the camera footage from the Break Time King worked at the night before her death, as well as her cellphone for potential suspects.
When cross-examining the officers on the case, the defense also confirmed that Sayles complied with the police during his arrest. Police also confirmed that Sayles was parked in a visible area in the park before entering the restroom and that the park was well-populated at the time.
The defense also showed photos taken from the crime scene of drugs and two fast-food cups with straws, which police confirmed were not tested for DNA.
“No blood on Sergio, on Mr. Sayles’ shoes, no blood located in his car, in his home,” defense attorney Heather Vodnansky said, “Police misconduct has made them fixate on Sergio Sayles, this fixation is folly, Sergio Sayles is not guilty.”
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.
Judge Jonathan Jacobs, who’s overseeing the case, expects the trial to continue to Friday.