Judge grants Elledge requests for non-Boone County jury

The jury in Joseph Elledge’s felony child abuse trial will not come from Boone County.

A judge on Monday granted Elledge’s change of venue request, just for the jury selection. The Columbia man’s team pointed to intense media coverage while making the request.

Elledge is officially charged with hitting his one-year-old daughter so hard she bruised. Prosecutors also say he’s the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, but have not charged him for that yet. Mengqi Ji Elledge has been missing since last October.