COLUMBIA — A Boone County judge on Thursday found Sergio Sayles guilty of first-degree murder for the April 2023 stabbing death of Jasmine King in Jefferson City .

Sayles, 39, was also convicted of armed criminal action and tampering with evidence. Judge Brouck Jacobs delivered the verdict following a four-day bench trial that concluded Thursday.

Jasmine King was found dead with stab wounds and sharp-force injuries in April 2023. Police arrested Sayles in connection to the homicide of King.

Court documents said King and Sayles had an "off-and-on intimate relationship" and had a child together.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors presented closing arguments on Thursday morning at the Boone County Courthouse.

Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Locke Thompson outlined evidence linking Sayl

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