Trial of Missouri man charged in wife’s death goes to jury

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The case of a Missouri man who is accused of killing his wife and burying her body is now in the hands of a jury. Closing arguments were held Thursday in the trial of Joseph Elledge. He is charged with first-degree murder in the October 2019 death of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji, whose remains were found in March. The judge told the jurors they could consider convicting Elledge of lesser charges, including second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter. During closing arguments, prosecutor Dan Knight urged the jury to convict Elledge of first-degree murder. Elledge’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said Elledge made bad decisions after his wife’s death but he never intended to kill her.