Murder victim Hailey Owens' stepfather pleads not gulty to child pornography charge

Jeffrey Barfield, 38, Springfield, stepfather of 10-year-old murder victim Hailey Owens, waived his indictment today during a 17-minute session in U. S. District Court in Springfield, and pleaded not guilty to a charge of receiving and distributing child pornography.

An investigator told the Springfield News-Leader that Hailey Owens was not a victim in the stepfather's alleged crime. If she had been, the investigator said, the charges would have been far more serious.

A federal grand jury indicted Barfield February 15. He remains free on a personal recognizance bond.

Hailey Owens was abducted, raped, and murdered February 8, 2014. Her accused killer, Craig Michael Wood, 48, Springfield, is awaiting trial for first degree murder, rape, and armed criminal action.