We will stream coverage of the trial in the player at the top of this story when it begins at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.
UPDATE: Rebecca Ruud decided against taking the stand and testifying today.
The prosecution called three inmate witnesses who they said were in prison at one point with Rebecca Ruud. Some witnesses are testifying they would talk with Ruud and she said she drugged her daughter by crushing up pills and putting them in Kool-Aid.
Some of the inmate witnesses called also said Ruud was concerned about not getting money from her daughter’s adoptive mom. The prosecution said these witnesses are not receiving any benefits for coming forward with these testimonies.
However, the defense said some of the inmates did ask for consideration for bringing forward this information. The defense is also claiming the testimony some of these inmates are sharing is different than a written statement they previously provided.
The trial ended for today, with plans for closing arguments to begin at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, June 30.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The third, and possibly final day of the trial of Rebecca Ruud begins Wednesday in Springfield. Rebecca Ruud is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, tampering with evidence, and abandonment of a corpse in the 2017 death of her teenage daughter, Savannah Leckie.
It was Ruud who called authorities to report Leckie missing in the summer of 2017. She married Robert Peat, Jr. the day Savannah’s remains were found in a burn pile on the farm where they lived in Ozark County.
Tuesday brought testimony from Robert Peat, Jr. and from Leckie’s adoptive mother. Read more about what happened on day two of the trial in our previous story.
On day one of Ruud’s trial, the judge heard a tape of Ruud telling a lawyer she burned Savannah’s body. Defense attorneys for Ruud said they want to convince the judge Savannah was already dead when her body was burned.
Prosecutors claim that Wednesday, they will call witnesses who can testify that Ruud killed Leckie.
Since this is a bench trial, Greene County Judge Calvin Holden will make a ruling based on the evidence and will hand down the sentence. Holden may rule the week of the trial but can also take the case under advisement and rule at a later time.