The fate of a Doniphan man standing trial later this month for his alleged role in the 2010 deaths of two elderly couples whose bodies were found in their burned homes now will rest in the hands of a Butler County judge.
Keith A. Boyles is to stand trial on four Class A felonies of first-degree murder and four unclassified felonies of armed criminal action (ACA) before Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett.
Instead of a jury of Laclede County residents being chosen and brought to Butler County to hear the 26-year-old’s case, Boyles will have his case heard by Pritchett in a bench trial.
This comes after Boyles’ attorneys with the Capital Public Defender’s Office and attorneys with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office reach a stipulation agreement, according to Casenet.
The stipulation was presented to Pritchett on Friday in Laclede County during a reported motion hearing.
Boyles reportedly waived his right to a jury trial and agreed to a bench trial, while the state agreed to withdraw its intent to seek the death penalty against Boyles.
If convicted of the first-degree murder charges, the only punishment Boyles can receive is life without the possibility of probation or parole. ACA carries a mandatory minimum of three years.
After questioning Boyles about his waiver, Pritchett reportedly found it to be “voluntary, with no compulsion or coercion and with full knowledge of its consequences.”
At the time Pritchett was presented with the stipulation, he was in the second day of distributing juror questionnaires to Laclede County residents.
Three panels of jurors already had completed, signed and delivered their questionnaires to Butler County Circuit Clerk Cindi Bowman.
A fourth panel was brought in Friday afternoon, but was discharged prior to completing the questionnaires.
Actual jury selection had been set for four days, beginning Jan. 22 in Laclede County. Once seated, the jurors would have been sequestered for the duration of Boyles’ two-week trial.
Boyles’ trial remains set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 28. Court officials expect it may last five to six days.
During the trial, Pritchett will hear testimony regarding the deaths of Gladys Irene Piatt, 80, and Loyd Eugene Piatt, 77, as well as Edgar Atkinson, 81, and Bonnie Chase, 69.
With his trial, Boyles is the last of four defendants to stand trial or plea in connection to the deaths.
Boyles, along with David Youngblood and his daughter, Chantale Youngblood, were accused of killing the Piatts, who were found dead inside their burned rural Doniphan home on June 23, 2010.
Gladys Piatt and Loyd Piatt were the aunt and uncle of David Youngblood.
While authorities initially thought the couple had died of smoke inhalation, they became suspicious when David Youngblood was among those arrested in connection with the July 10, 2010, deaths of Atkinson and Chase.
The bodies of Atkinson and Chase were found in their burning Current View home. An autopsy determined Atkinson died of gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso. A cause of death for Chase was not immediately known.
A multiagency investigation led to the arrest and questioning of Boyles and the Youngbloods on July 16, 2010, after information was obtained about their alleged involvement in Atkinson and Chase’s deaths. Also implicated was Melissa M. Youngblood, wife of David Youngblood and mother of Chantale.
The Youngbloods and Boyles subsequently were charged in connection with the couple’s deaths, and the investigation into the Piatts’ deaths was re-opened.
As part of that investigation, the Piatts’ bodies were exhumed so autopsies could be performed to determine how they died. Both reportedly had been shot in the chest.
In June 2012, David Youngblood pleaded guilty as charged to four Class A felonies of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment on each charge. His sentences were ordered to run consecutively.
In February 2013, a Shannon County jury convicted Melissa “Lisa” Youngblood of two Class A felonies of first-degree murder for her role in the deaths of Atkinson and Chase. She was sentenced to two life sentences, which were ordered to run concurrently.
In June 2013, Chantale Youngblood pleaded guilty to four Class A felonies of second-degree murder.
Pursuant to the plea negotiations, the state recommended concurrent 20-year sentences on each count, Steve Lynxwiler with the Public Defender’s Office said at the time.
Lynxwiler’s client subsequently was sentenced on one of the counts, with sentencing on the remaining counts to be at a later date.
That sentencing recommendation, according to the plea petition filed with the court, is contingent upon Youngblood’s “truthful testimony” in the state’s prosecution of Boyles, who was then her boyfriend.