JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - A Jasper County jury has recommended that a former sheriff's deputy be sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiring to kill an ex-girlfriend.
The jury on Wednesday recommended the sentence for 28-year-old Casey Simmons, after convicting him on Tuesday of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
Prosecutors say the target of the plot was an ex-girlfriend, Kimberlee LeClaire, who had given birth to Simmons' child. They say he hatched the plan with his ex-wife, Misty Simmons, who was cooperating with authorities in the case.
Simmons was arrested after deputies say he purchased four items to be used in the murder.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Feb. 25.