Missouri

Missouri man facing execution in the sexual assault and strangling of a 9-year-old girl

Published

1 year ago

December 3, 2024

Missouri man facing execution in the sexual assault and strangling of a 9-year-old girl

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri man is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday evening for sexually assaulting and strangling a 9-year-old girl whose body was thrown into a sinkhole.

Christopher Collings, 49, is set to receive a single injection of the sedative pentobarbital at 6 p.m. CST for the 2007 murder of fourth-grader Rowan Ford.

The girl was assaulted and strangled with a length of rope in the tiny southwestern Missouri town of Stella, on Nov. 3, 2007, and her body was discovered six days later in the sinkhole outside town.

Collings’ fate appeared to be sealed on Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal and Republican Gov. Mike Parson turned aside a clemency request. Parson, a former sheriff, has overseen 12 previous executions and never granted clemency.

Collings’ execution would be the 23rd in the U.S. this year and the fourth in Missouri — Brian Dorsey was executed on April 9, David Hosier on June 11 and Marcellus Williams on Sept. 24. Only Alabama with six and Texas with five have performed more executions in 2024.

Rowan was a fourth-grader described by teachers at Collings’ trial as a hard-working and happy student, a lover of Barbie dolls who had her room painted pink. Collings was a friend of Rowan’s stepfather, David Spears, and lived for several months in 2007 at the home Rowan shared with Spears and Rowan’s mother, Colleen Spears. The child called Collings “Uncle Chris.”

Collings told authorities that he drank heavily and smoked marijuana with Spears and another man in the hours before the attack on Rowan, according to court records. Collings said he picked up the still-sleeping child from her bed, took her to the camper where he lived, and assaulted her there.

Collings told police that he planned to take Rowan back home, leading her outside the camper facing away from him so that she couldn’t identify who assaulted her. But when moonlight lit up the darkness, Rowan was able to see him, Collings told police. He said he “freaked out,” grabbed a rope from a nearby pickup truck and killed her.

Colleen Spears returned home from work at 9 a.m. on Nov. 3 and was alarmed when she couldn’t find Rowan. Court records said Spears insisted Rowan was at a friend’s house. But when Rowan failed to return home by the afternoon, Colleen Spears called police, prompting a massive search.

Collings, Spears and a third man became the focus of police attention because they were the last people seen at Rowan’s home. Collings told police that after killing Rowan, he took the body to a sinkhole. He burned the rope used in the attack, along with the clothes he was wearing and his bloodstained mattress, prosecutors said.

Court documents and the clemency petition said Spears also implicated himself in the crimes. A transcript of Spears’ statement to police, cited in the clemency petition, said Spears told officers that Collings handed him a cord and Spears killed Rowan.

“I choke her with it. I realize she’s gone. She’s … she’s really gone,” Spears said, according to the transcript. Meanwhile, court documents said it was Spears who led authorities to the sinkhole where the body was found.

But Spears was allowed to plead to lesser charges. It wasn’t clear why. Prosecutors at the original trial didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.

Spears served more than seven years in prison before being released in 2015. No phone listing could be found for Spears.

The clemency petition said Collings suffered from a brain abnormality that created “functional deficits in awareness, judgment and deliberation, comportment, appropriate social inhibition, and emotional regulation.” It also noted that he was frequently abused and sexually abused as a child.

“The result was a damaged human being with no guidance on how to grow into a functioning adult,” the petition stated.

The clemency petition and the Supreme Court appeal both challenged the reliability of the key law enforcement witness at Collings’ trial, a police chief from a neighboring town who had four AWOL convictions while serving in the Army. Failure to disclose details about that criminal history at trial violated Collings’ right to due process, Collings’ attorney, Jeremy Weis, contended.

“His credibility was really at the heart of the entire case against Mr. Collings,” Weis said in an interview.

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Missouri

KSR’s top takeaways from Kentucky’s 22-point win over Missouri

Published

5 minutes ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

KSR’s top takeaways from Kentucky’s 22-point win over Missouri

Welp. The game of basketball giveth, and the game of basketball taketh, and it took away Teonni Key from us. Of course, there was some other (positive) stuff that took place as Kentucky beat Missouri handily.

So, here are KSR’s top takeaways from the 74-52 win over the Tigers.

Get better soon, Teonni Key

First and foremost, let’s extend some well wishes to Teonni Key. In what was truly a freakish play, the 6-foot-5 forward dove for a loose ball and awkwardly landed on a Missouri player and the court, resulting in a dislocated elbow, according to Kenny Brooks. We’re rooting for a speedy recovery, 7!

Kenny Brooks on Teonni Key following the Mizzou game:
“We’re just praying for her right now. She dislocated her elbow. All we can do right now is pray for her. She’s a tough kid. This is the part of the game I hate the most. It was a freak play. We’ll continue to pray.”
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— Phoenix Stevens (@PStevensKSR) January 4, 2026

I am no medical expert and I won’t even try to pretend to be, so to look at the situation differently, it’s going to be really important for players like Asia Boone and Kaelyn Carroll to step up in her place, assuming she will be out of action for an extended period of time. We’ve seen this team without Key in two games already, and they both played an important role in making sure her lost production wasn’t a killer.

Obviously, the top priority here is her health in general, but just looking at the basketball aspect, life is going to get even tougher. Her presence on the defensive end and on the glass will almost certainly be missed sorely. It’s just a matter of the next man stepping up and providing their own unique punch.

Tonie Morgan’s confidence is on another planet right now

After a 24-point, 12-assists, 0-turnover outing against the No. 5 team in the country is awesome enough. But then hitting the game-winning three to add the cherry on top? Should it really come as a surprise that Tonie Morgan‘s confidence is through the roof right now?

She nailed her first three shots against Missouri — even hitting a three from about where that game-winner was from a few nights back. Against the Tigers, Morgan went off, recording 18 points on 7-11 (2-3 3PT) shooting while dishing out 14 assists along the way. FOURTEEN! Just absolutely brilliant stuff from the Georgia Tech transfer.

If she can continue to play like that — not the same ridiculous stat lines, but just taking over games and doing anything at will — she may very well end up being the best point guard in the SEC when this season is all said and done.

All things considered, that’s a really good win

Missouri is a good team, and after the LSU game, Kentucky could have very easily slept-walked into Sunday’s contest, laid an egg and lost. Instead, they beat a very solid Tigers squad by 22 points, leading by double digits pretty much the whole way.

The Tigers have had an interesting season, but they entered Sunday’s game 12-4, and in their last game, they were within a possession or two against No. 2 Texas for the majority of that game — even leading after the first quarter.

Brooks admitted that Kentucky was a bit “sluggish” out the gate against Missouri, and when you couple that with the emotionally taxing part of Key’s injury, being able to get themselves together to get a win like they did is, at the end of the day, something that Kentucky can hang its hat on.

KSR’s Rapid Reaction

Kenny Brooks, Tonie Morgan Postgame Press Conference

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for Jan. 3, 2026

Published

12 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

18-21-40-53-60, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

Midday: 0-8-1

Midday Wild: 5

Evening: 9-5-8

Evening Wild: 0

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

Midday: 0-1-4-3

Midday Wild: 7

Evening: 0-3-8-3

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

03-09-24-35-59, Cash Ball: 01

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

Early Bird: 06

Morning: 01

Matinee: 05

Prime Time: 11

Night Owl: 14

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

07-17-21-25-30

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 3 drawing

28-40-52-53-54, Powerball: 12

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for Dec. 28, 2025

Published

7 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

Midday: 6-4-6

Midday Wild: 5

Evening: 3-6-7

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

Midday: 8-0-0-0

Midday Wild: 2

Evening: 4-6-0-3

Evening Wild: 5

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

09-15-24-34-53, Cash Ball: 04

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

Early Bird: 15

Morning: 01

Matinee: 02

Prime Time: 08

Night Owl: 04

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Dec. 28 drawing

02-19-21-29-37

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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