Kan. couple charged in Lake of the Ozarks area retiree's death may testify

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas couple may testify against a Missouri woman who is charged with causing her father's death by forging health care documents to prevent him from receiving potentially life-saving treatment.

Camden County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Keedy told a Boone County judge this week that Stacey and Desre Dory of Shawnee, Kan., are cooperating as the state builds a case against Susan Elizabeth Van Note, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported (bit.ly/10U0FlA ).

William Van Note, 67, and his long-time girlfriend, Sharon Dickson, 59, were attacked at their Lake of the Ozarks vacation home in October 2010. Dickson died at the scene and Van Note was hospitalized.

Susan Van Note, a Kansas City lawyer, is charged with killing her father by forging health care documents that led University Hospital doctors to remove him from life support. She has pleaded not guilty to felony forgery and first-degree murder in Boone County. No one has been charged in Dickson's death.

The Dorys are accused of helping Susan Van Note in her father's death. They have both pleaded not guilty to felony forgery and second-degree murder charges. Liz Van Note and Stacey Dory were high school classmates.

After Monday's hearing, Keedy said the Dorys could be developed as witnesses to testify against Van Note during her trial, scheduled to begin in November, although neither of them has yet agreed to testify in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.

The Dorys cases will be disposed of sometime after Liz Van Note's charges are settled, he said.

Dickson's son, Andrew, is in a legal fight with Liz Van Note over her father's estate, which is worth at least several million dollars.

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Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com