On August 30, 2023, deputies in Christian County, Missouri, found 66-year-old Jimmy Dean Hale dead in an outbuilding on a Johns Ford Road property near Sparta. The body was wrapped in a dark multi-colored blanket and secured with duct tape; a vehicle on the premises had its trunk open and a roll of duct tape nearby, suggesting an interrupted attempt to move the remains.

The investigation focused on the victim’s son, 45-year-old Chantry Dean Hale, who was at the scene when officers arrived. A witness said Chantry first struck his father with a fist and then fatally shot him in the head. Deputies recovered a Glock pistol from Chantry’s waistband, the victim’s driver’s license and debit card, a single cloth glove that matched one found beside the body, and a red substance believed to be blood on the suspect’s shoe.

Prosecutors charged Chantry Dean Hale with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The suspect had prior convictions for assault, burglary and weapon possession and was reportedly violating parole at the time. Does anyone have information about Jimmy Hale, his work as a horse trainer and farrier, or the events that led up to that night?