
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – The man convicted of abducting and killing a 10-year-old Springfield girl has been sentenced to death.
Circuit Judge Thomas Mountjoy on Thursday sentenced 49-year-old Craig Wood for the February 2014 death of Hailey Owens.
Woods was convicted in November of first-degree murder but the jury couldn’t decide whether to impose the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
Before sentencing, Mountjoy denied motions from Wood’s attorneys for a new trial and calling judge-imposed death sentences unconstitutional.
Wood grabbed Hailey off the street and took her to his home, where he raped her and shot her in the head. Her body was found in his basement.
The case severely impacted the Springfield community. Four days after Hailey’s death, an estimated 10,000 people marched in a candlelight vigil to honor her.