Angela McCoy hearing set for April 17

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Bernie woman charged with the 2010 murder of 67-year-old Aubrey Lee Finch made her first court appearance since 2011 on Wednesday morning.

Angela McCoy, along with her husband Allen McCoy, are both charged with the Class A felony of first degree murder, two counts of the unclassified felony of armed criminal action and one count of the Class A felony of first degree robbery.

McCoy appeared alongside her attorneys Charles Moreland and Heather Vodnansky.

Her attorneys requested that a motion hearing be scheduled in April to help better determine how much time could be needed before a trial could take place.

"Once we take up motions, we'll be in a better position to know when to set trial," Moreland said.

The hearing was set for Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at 1 p.m.

The other defendant, Allen "Smurf" McCoy, was recently declared "mentally retarded" by doctors for both the defense and the state. As a result, he was found to be incompetent to stand trial.

He is currently incarcerated in a mental hospital where he will be taught about the workings of a trial with the goal of getting him to a point of competency.

An autopsy conducted in Farmington ruled Finch, 67, died as a result of "multiple stab wounds to the head and neck."

The autopsy report detailed at least 12 separate stab wounds to the body of Aubrey Finch.

According to the probable cause statement filed by Cpl. J. D. Johnson with the Missouri State Water Patrol and assigned to the Stoddard County Major Case Squad on June 28, a witness contacted the New Madrid County Sheriff's Department and reported that Allen McCoy, a.k.a. "Smurf," had come to his residence and told him that he had killed a man named Lee in Bernie.

The witness then reportedly went on to say McCoy claimed to have stabbed an 87-year-old man and robbed him. He also stated that McCoy had burned some items in a ditch in front of the witness' house.

The report stated that three other witnesses were identified who heard McCoy state he stabbed "an old man" in Bernie and robbed him.

The witnesses went on to tell officers that McCoy told them he stolen some items and had taken them to his storage building in Bernie. The report also states that McCoy's wife, Angela, was present when the murder occurred and that she participated in the stealing of the unknown items.

It was also reported that McCoy told the witnesses he stole a 12-gauge shotgun and a 30-30 rifle from the victim and also put them in his storage shed.

As investigators sifted through the burn pile in front of the witness' house, two keys were found. The keys were seized and later taken to the victim's home where they were found to unlock the victim's Ford truck and the front door to the victim's house.