A growing group of Missouri legislators are calling for the Missouri Public Defender’s Office to terminate the employment of David Spears, who works at the West Plains office. David Spears was charged in the 2007 murder of his stepdaughter, Rowan Ford, in McDonald County. A plea deal reduced Spears’ sentence to child endangerment and hindering prosecution. Spears went to work for the Missouri Public Defender’s Office shortly after his release in 2016. His friend, Chris Collings, was executed by the state last month for his role in the rape and murder of Rowan Ford. State Representative Lane Roberts, along with fifteen other state reps, have sent a signed letter to the Missouri Public Defender’s Office calling for Spears’ removal from the office.
