Prosecutor to seek death penalty against 3 not 5 in killing
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A prosecutor has dropped the number of people he plans to seek the death penalty against in the killing of a southwestern Missouri woman from five to three. Lawrence County Prosecutor Don Trotter told the Springfield News-Leader on Monday that he is now only actively pursuing the death penalty against Gary Hunter Jr., Steven Calverley and Diona Park _ the defendants he views as most culpable in the August death of 27-year-old Sarah Pasco. The Missouri State Public Defender System had pushed back after Trotter announced in December that he would seek the death penalty against those three and two more _ Lyle DeLong and Andrew Cypret _ saying the system only had three attorneys qualified to handle such cases.