A Columbia man charged with killing a man and then fleeing to Iowa will go on trial sometime in 2024.
Boone County prosecutors have charged 38-year-old Mark Achterberg with first degree murder and armed criminal action for the November 2021 shooting death of Justin Stidham north of Columbia.
Boone County assistant prosecutor Nick Komoroski and defense attorney Kevin O’Brien have submitted four potential trial dates to Judge Jeff Harris. Those dates are the weeks of April 1, April 8, April 29 and May 6. Judge Harris will schedule the trial, which will take place at the Boone County Courthouse.
Achterberg remains jailed this morning without bond. He was captured by authorities in the Hawkeye state, after the homicide. The court has rejected bond for Achterberg, citing the first degree murder charge, his criminal record dating to 2004 and that Achterberg had to be extradited back to Missouri from Iowa.
