Angela McCoy pleads guilty, will serve 20 years and testify against husband

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 ~ Updated 10:00 AM
COREY NOLES photo - Angela McCoy is shown as she is escorted back to the Stoddard County Jail by Deputy Keith Haynes following a Wednesday, March 20, 2013 court appearance.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo.--A Bernie, Mo. woman plead guilty Wednesday to a 2010 murder.

Angela McCoy, who has been incarcerated since June 2010 alongside her husband, Allen McCoy, following the murder of Aubrey Finch pleaded guilty in a Stoddard County courtroom Wednesday.

McCoy pleaded to the Class A felony of second degree murder. As part of the plea agreement, she will serve a 20-year prison sentence. She will have to serve a minimum of 85-percent before she would be eligible to apply for possible parole.

Both McCoys were originally 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.

In addition to the sentence, Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver said she has agreed to testify against her husband, Allen McCoy in his pending murder case.

"We're hopeful that Allen will stand trial in the future once he is deemed competent," Oliver said Wednesday. "Part of this agreement is that she would testify in Allen McCoy's case. There is testimony she would have that would be crucial to our case against him."

Oliver said he felt the sentence was appropriate in exchange for the value that her testimony will bring to the table. He said keeping her off the street was the goal and he feels this sentence makes sure that happens.

McCoy remains in the Stoddard County Jail awaiting transport to prison.

Her husband and co-defendant, Allen "Smurf" McCoy, was in February declared "mentally retarded" by doctors for both the defense and the state. As a result, he was found to be incompetent to stand trial.

This declaration does not mean that he was incapable of understanding the difference between right and wrong. It means that doctors for both the defense and prosecution determined he does not currently have the mental capacity to understand the workings of a murder trial to the extent that he would be able to aid in his own defense.

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 had 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.

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