Henry County Murder Case Set For Trial In July

AN AERIAL OF THE MURDER SCENE-- It was initially thought the murder took place in Henry County. However, once a question was raised as to jurisdiction, the elected county surveyors for Henry and Benton Counties determined together that it was actually slightly in Benton County where the shooting took place.

RUDY ROMDALL--On Monday, March 26, 2012, Rudy Romdall, 66, a resident of the Sky Village community located along the Henry and Benton County line, was found shot to death in his vehicle on Henry County SE Road 1301 in the area where it intersects with Highway 7.

LONNY MAYS-- A suspect in the murder, Lonny Mays, 67, also of the Sky Village community, surrendered with two attorneys at the Henry County Jail on Tuesday, March 27.

On Monday, March 26, 2012, Rudy Romdall, 66, a resident of the Sky Village community located along the Henry and Benton County line, was found shot to death in his vehicle on Henry County SE Road 1301 in the area where it intersects with Highway 7. A suspect in the murder, Lonny Mays, 67, also of the Sky Village community, surrendered with two attorneys at the Henry County Jail on Tuesday, March 27. Mays was accompanied by Clinton Attorneys Audra Lutjen and Harold L. Dump II ...of the Cason Edgett Mahan & Lutjen LLC Law Firm.

It was initially thought the murder took place in Henry County. However, once a question was raised as to jurisdiction, the elected county surveyors for Henry and Benton Counties determined together that it was actually slightly in Benton County where the shooting took place. As a result, Mays was transported to Benton County. Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Karen Coffey Woodley charged Lonny Mays with First Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action. Bond was set at $2 million. Patrick W. Peters, Kansas City, was retained as the defense attorney for Mays. Mays entered a plea of not guilty before Judge Mark Brandon Pilley during arraignment in the Benton County Courthouse.

Since that time, there have been a number of motions and hearings in the Benton County Circuit Court before Judge Pilley. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has entered the case as a special prosecutor. A motion hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m., June 20, 2014, before Judge Pilley. A pre-trial conference has been set for 3 p.m., June 24, 2014. A jury trial has been placed on the Benton County Circuit Court docket for July 28, 2014, in Warsaw.

Courtesy of Clinton Daily Democrat