A Fairdealing, Mo., woman is to appear in Butler County Circuit Court next week on a manslaughter charge in connection with her alleged role in the death of man whose body was found inside a trunk of an abandoned car.
Amber Rebeckah McDannald, 26, is to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Tuesday before Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett on the Class C felony of involuntary manslaughter after having waived having a preliminary hearing in her case on Monday.
The information filed with the court alleges on Aug. 27, 2015, McDannald "recklessly caused the death of Norman Jones by leaving him tied in the trunk of a car."
McDannald, according to earlier reports, was with Edward William Weaver on Aug. 22, 2015, when he allegedly kidnapped 48-year-old Norman K. "Kane" Jones, who later was found bound and dead inside the trunk of his own Nissan Sentra.
McDannald was supposed to be a witness against Weaver at his August trial; however, the 25-year-old preempted his trial when he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and second-degree murder. He subsequently was sentenced to two 20-year terms of imprisonment, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
Butler County Assistance Prosecuting Attorney Paul Oesterreicher, according to earlier reports, entered plea negotiations with Weaver's attorney after he was given a "batch of love letters that my star witness (McDannald) had been sending to Eddie Weaver for the past year and a half."
During Weaver's earlier preliminary hearing, McDannald had refused to testify, and her videotaped interview was entered into evidence.
McDannald initially wasn't charged because she was cooperating with authorities, Butler County Investigator Wes Popp said.
"We found out she reneged (and) found out she was also in correspondence with him," Popp said. " ... She was supposed to be an unwilling party to it, but with the correspondence going back and forth between her and Weaver, she was not a victim."
Based on that and the evidence "that we knew was already there," Popp said, charges were sought.
According to Popp's probable-cause statement, on Aug. 27, 2015, a deputy found a Nissan Sentra on County Road 355 near Harviell.
"The deputy discovered a body of a man in the trunk of the vehicle whose hands and feet were bound," Popp said. The body was identified as Jones.
During the investigation, Popp said, officers found several witnesses who placed Weaver and McDannald as having possession of the vehicle prior to its discovery by law enforcement.
"The identification of Weaver and McDannald was done by photo lineups by both strangers and persons who were close friends of McDannald who seen her in the vehicle," Popp said.
McDannald reportedly was found in Carter County, detained and turned over to authorities in Butler County.
After being told of her rights, McDannald was interviewed.
"McDannald admitted she was in the Nissan Sentra with Weaver and Jones," Popp said. "She stated Weaver put a knife to the throat of Norman Jones, then tied him up and placed him in the trunk of the car."
McDannald, Popp said, further told officers the car had broken down on County Road 355 "with Jones still in the trunk."
Popp said McDannald reported she called a friend to pick her and Weaver and they left.
"Norman Jones died as a result of being left in the trunk of the vehicle for approximately three days in the heat of summer," Popp said. "At no time did McDannald tell anyone of Jones being in the trunk of the car even though she had the opportunity."
Jones' death, Popp said, was the result of "McDannald's conscious disregard of the substantial and unjustifiable risk that is a gross deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would exercise in that situation," Popp said.
McDannald remains in the Butler County jail, where she also is being held on a Butler County failure to appear warrant on a forgery charge and a Randolph County, Ark., warrant for commercial burglary.
McDannald's bonds total $45,000.