A pre-trial conference is set for Tuesday morning for a Columbia man charged with killing a woman with a hammer two years ago.
A Boone County grand jury issued a superceding indictment earlier this month against 39-year-old Adam Alfred Conner for second degree murder, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence. Boone County prosecutors and Columbia Police say Conner beat 59-year-old Patricia Kelly to death with a hammer in October 2022. The incident happened at a home on High Quest drive, north of Smiley lane. It took Columbia Police several days to make a positive identification after the murder, due to the victim’s horrific injuries.
Columbia Police Sergeant Neil Sedgwick has previously said that the victim was found hidden inside a closet and had suffered severe blunt trauma to the head.
Conner’s pretrial conference is set for Tuesday morning at 9 before Boone County Circuit Judge Kevin Crane, and the trial is scheduled to begin next Tuesday November 5. But the trial could be delayed. Conner’s attorney, Kaitlyn Bullard, filed a motion for a continuance on Friday. Judge Crane will make the final decision on whether the trial is delayed.
Boone County assistant prosecutor Susan Boresi is prosecuting the case.
