A 36-year-old Missouri man was accused Tuesday of stabbing the mother of his toddler to death, according to authorities.
Sergio L. Sayles was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, evidence tampering and first-degree stalking. He remained in the Cole County Jail without bond.
A probable cause statement identifies the victim as 22-year-old Jasmine King.
King’s family members told police that Sayles and King had been arguing about child visitation, according to the statement. Sayles had also been carrying a large knife and had threatened King’s life, the statement says.
Police found King dead from stab wounds to her head, face, neck, torso and back in her home Monday in the 300 block of West Ashley Street after King’s family called police for a well-being check, the statement says. Sayles gave inconsistent stories about where he was Monday afternoon and he denied killing King, according to the statement.
Witness statements and surveillance video connected Sayles to the crime scene, the statement says. Police also recovered the murder weapon and some of Sayles’s belongings in a trash bag at McClung Park, where surveillance cameras captured Sayles sitting in his vehicle around the time of King’s death, according to the statement.
When police showed Sayles photos of the crime scene, he became upset and said he was being set up, police say. He has been living in his vehicle, according to the statement.
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