You’ll notice a dumpster and a lot of new lumber the next time you drive by a burned-out house near south Columbia’s Vawter School road and Creekfront Way.
The house was the site of a gruesome stabbing death and major arson fire in mid-January, and some residents say the burned-out building has been an eyesore. 939 the Eagle’s Jeff Ausmus reports crews have placed a dumpster outside the home where debris can be replaced, and there are also several stacks of brand-new lumber outside the home.
31-year-old Steven Strumpf is charged in Boone County Circuit Court with first degree murder, second degree arson and two other charges. CPD’s heavily-redacted probable cause statement quotes Strumpf as telling Columbia Police officers that he stabbed his father several times in the neck, poured gas on the victim’s body and then set it on fire. The blaze caused extensive damage to the home.
Boone County prosecutor Roger Johnson has described the suspect as a flight risk, in court documents. Strumpf, who is jailed without bond, will be back in court on April 22.
