A key piece of evidence was presented Monday as a bench trial began for Rebecca Ruud, an Ozark County mother accused of killing her 16-year-old daughter.
Monday prosecutors played a recording between Rebecca Ruud and her lawyer where Ruud admits to burning her daughter’s body. The recording is part of the reason Ruud’s trial was delayed because the decision on whether it could be played in court went to the Missouri Supreme Court.
The court decided the recording could be played and Judge Calvin Holden heard the one-hour recording Monday.
On the tape, Ruud said her daughter killed herself. Ruud then admitted to finding her body and taking it to a burn pile.
Ruud’s defense attorney said although Ruud admitted to burning her daughter’s body, she did not kill Savannah Leckie. Her attorney said in court there is no evidence Leckie was murdered.
During opening statements Monday, Prosecutors said the judge will hear from the former Ozark County Sheriff about the case. Prosecutors will also call Robert Peat, Junior, who was Rebecca Ruud’s boyfriend at the time. He is also charged in Savannah Leckie’s death. The state said Ruud claimed her daughter overdosed on drugs, however, prosecutors claim they will call witnesses to the stand who said that Ruud killed her daughter deliberately.
Ruud’s defense said in opening statements that the defendant suffered a history of abuse in her childhood and detailed in the opening statements how Ruud fought to have custody of Savannah Leckie. Defense attorneys also said the teen had struggled with mental health and suicidal ideations.
(Story by Carrie Winchel, Ozarks First)
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