Woman accused of murder in Benton County to have case moved to Webster County
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman charged with murder in the death of a 4-year-old girl in Benton County will have her case moved to another court.
Kourtney Aumen ,25, of Lincoln, Missouri, is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of first-degree assault. She and three other people were accused in the beating and killing of 4-year-old Jessica Mast in December 2020.
Aumen is being held at the Benton County Jail. Her case was ordered to be transferred to Webster County on Wednesday.
Jessica Mast’s parents – Mary Mast and James Mast – pleaded guilty to a number of crimes. Mary Mast pleaded guilty in January 2023 first-degree child endangerment, though she has a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.
James Mast had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in November, but he filed a motion to strike multiple felonies in the case last month and filed a motion to set aside his guilty plea on May 29.
Mast is charged with second-degree felony murder, three counts of armed criminal action, one count of child abuse, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and a single count of first-degree assault. He filed a motion on May 28 to strike the armed criminal action charges, alleging that the charges do not specific a “dangerous instrument” used, court documents say.
Ethan Mast had pleaded guilty to second-degree felony murder and first-degree assault in February 2022.