Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Jasper County murderer fails to win new trial

The Missouri Southern District Court of Appeals Friday rejected murder Eldon Tinsley's request for a new trial. Tinsley claimed he had ineffective counsel.
The following description of Tinsley's crime was provided:

On May 9, 2001 at the American Bank in Baxter Springs, KS, Myung Kyu Kim tried to cash three checks written to him by Tinsley. Kim was told the checks were no good because Tinsley's account had been closed for more than three years.
The Baxter Springs Police Department told Kim to contact the Joplin Police Department, but Kim took matters into his own hands, a decision he never had the chance to regret. Kim went straight to Tinsley's house. Tinsley was inside, but did not come out.
Tinsley's daughters came by and saw Kim there, but Tinsley still did not come out. According to the court record, Tinsley later called his daughter, Tonya, and told her to come home quickly and come alone.
When she got there, Tinsley told her he had killed somebody, according to the court record. He said he had gotten into an argument with Kim and had killed him. Tinsley's daughter, knowing her father kept a 9-millimeter gun in a cabinet, asked if he had shot Kim. He told her it was none of her business. She saw blood in Tinsley's laundry room.
At about 3 p.m. that day, Tinsley rented a storage unit and placed the contents of Kim's truck there. When they returned home, Tinsley told his daughter they were going to see a friend about buying a metal drum. The daughter told a friend about the murder and the friend told the Joplin Police Department.
Tje police put Tinsley's home under surveillance and caught him moving the drum. When the lid of the drum was removed, the police found Kim's body inside.
Tinsley was convicted after a jury trial in Jasper County Circuit Court.

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