Woman accused of killing MU student back in court after 6-month mental health commitment

Columbia resident Emma Adams, who is accused of killing University of Missouri student Samuel Michael Clemons, was back in court this week after a six-month commit through the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

A hearing that was to be held Monday was pushed to Oct. 15. Adams' attorney Jeff Hilbrenner previously has argued his client is unfit to stand trial due to mental health issues. While a Department of Mental Health commit was previously denied by Judge Jeff Harris last June, that changed by November following other hearings related to Adams' capacity to stand trial.

Adams is facing criminal charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, evidence tampering and corpse abandonment from the alleged stabbing death of Clemons in January 2023 at a home on Bentley Court, along with her alleged subsequent actions of burning the body on a mattress over a backyard fire pit.

June 2023:Woman accused of killing MU student to receive mental competency evaluation

Adams since being in custody has claimed self defense in the alleged stabbing. Videos Adams has posted to the social media platform TikTok describe her difficulties with mental health, including suicidal ideation and self-harm, after her graduation from high school.

In a separate civil wrongful death lawsuit filed in February, Clemons' mother, Jennifer Riley, seeks damages via a jury trial from Adams and her parents Russell Adams and Carrie Cannaday, arguing negligence by both Adams and her parents. Cannaday sought dismissal on counts naming her as defendant in early April, and Russell Adams objected at the end of April to a trial setting due to lack of discovery evidence being shared between attorneys.

A hearing on all the civil lawsuit motions is expected June 3 before Judge Josh Devine.

January 2023:Police identify Bentley Court murder victim, suspect has hearing arranged for February

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.