Trial date set for man accused of killing Hailey Owens

A trial date has been set for the man accused of kidnapping and killing Springfield 10-year-old Hailey Owens — but it is still more than a year away.

A judge ruled Monday that the case against Craig M. Wood, 47, will go to trial starting Sept. 26, 2016.

Wood is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, rape, sodomy and armed criminal action in Hailey’s death. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Wood is convicted.

At a pre-trial conference Monday, Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson asked that the trial be set for March 2016. Wood's attorneys, however, asked that the trial be set for March 2017, saying they had several other capital murder trials coming up over the next nine months.

Judge Thomas Mountjoy compromised by scheduling the trial for Sept. 26 through Oct. 21 of 2016.

The trial date could potentially change, but Mountjoy urged the attorneys Monday to pick a time they were sure would work for the trial.

The first few days of that time will be dedicated to picking jury members. The trial will be heard in Greene County in front of a jury that is transported here from Platte County.

Wood's next court appearance is another pre-trial conference scheduled for next month.

Wood's attorney Thomas Jacquinot said Monday the case is "highly likely" to go to trial as talks of a plea agreement have been fruitless.

Officials say Hailey, a Westport Elementary fourth-grader, was taken from her Springfield neighborhood on Feb. 18, 2014. Her body was found hours later wrapped in garbage bags in Wood's basement. A medical examiner said she died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The examiner also said there was evidence of sexual assault.

Wood is a former teaching assistant and coach at Pleasant View Middle School.