Trials in DeBrodie cases postponed

Mary Paulo
Mary Paulo

Continued hearings for Mary Paulo and Sherry Paulo, two Fulton residents accused in relation to the death of Fulton man Carl DeBrodie, have been scheduled for 8:59 a.m. Aug. 27, according to state court documents.

Jury trials for both women had been set to begin Aug. 21 and potentially could be rescheduled during next Monday's hearings.

Both women will appear before Judge Kevin Crane, 13th Judicial Circuit of Missouri, in Callaway County.

Mary Paulo, 34, is charged with making a false report or false statement of a missing person, a misdemeanor, according to online court records.

Sherry Paulo, 53, is charged with a felony, patient/resident or client abuse of neglect in a mental health facility or program, a second felony of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, abandonment of a corpse (felony), and two misdemeanor counts of making false report/statement of a missing person.

Both were employees of Second Chance Homes and responsible for the care of DeBrodie, a developmentally disabled man who went missing last year and was found dead in a Fulton storage locker. Both also face civil charges.

Also charged is Anthony R. Flores, 58, an employee of Second Chance Homes who faces identical charges as Sherry Paulo. He will stand for a jury trial at 9 a.m. Nov. 28, according to online court records.

All of the defendants were arrested June 5 after an indictment by a grand jury in March. Also arrested at that time were fellow employees Anthony R.K. Flores and Shaina Osborne, who each faces charges of making a false report of a missing person. All have pleaded not guilty. Flores' jury trial is set for 9 a.m. Nov. 29, and Osborne's is set for the same time.

Melissa Denise DeLap, 49, of Columbia, pleaded guilty Monday to health care fraud and waived her right to a grand jury trial. A nurse, she was contracted to provide services to four Medicaid beneficiaries including DeBrodie and signed monthly summaries claiming to have met face-to-face with the four patients when she had not. She faces payment restitution of $106,795 and up to 10 years in federal prison without parole.