Mo. man sentenced for killing woman in 1987 whose wrists and neck were tied with cord

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (TCD) -- A 67-year-old man will spend a decade in prison after pleading guilty to fatally strangling a 22-year-old woman in 1987.

According to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, on Thursday, Aug. 3, Circuit Judge Craig Hellmann sentenced Kirby King to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and felonious restraint in connection with Karla Delcour’s slaying.

On June 24, 1987, officials found Delcour’s decomposing body in a remote wooded area approximately 2 miles west of St. Clair. She was reportedly "bound at the wrist and around her neck."

The medical examiner determined she suffered ligature strangulations, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators believe Delcour was killed on or around June 21, 1987, at a residence in Franklin County, the Attorney General’s Office said. Officials spoke with multiple witnesses and possible suspects, but no one was charged in Delcour’s death at the time.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the case went cold but was reopened by Franklin County Cold Case Investigators in 2018. The next year, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Backer’s office initially charged King with second-degree murder.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement, "As Attorney General, I want to send the message that my office will persist in obtaining justice for victims, no matter how much time has elapsed since the crime was committed."

MORE:

• AG’s Office Assists Franklin County Prosecutor in Obtaining Conviction for 1987 Murder — Missouri Attorney General’s Office
• Mo. man pleads guilty to killing woman in 1987 whose wrists and neck were tied with cord, 6/6/2023 — TCD