COLUMBIA — A Columbia man charged in the 2022 killing of a woman who was found dead in a closet has withdrawn his not guilty plea and pleaded guilty.
Adam A. Conner pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in Boone County court Friday. The state dismissed a charge of tampering with evidence in a felony prosecution, as well as an armed criminal action charge that was added in a 2024 superseding indictment, as part of the plea deal.
The state recommended 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Judge Stephanie Morrell said she would push to have Conner given credit for time served.
Hearings in Conner's case have repeatedly been delayed.
Conner was accused of killing and hiding Patricia Kelly, who was 59 years old, in a closet in the 1700 block of High Quest Drive. Kelly was Conner's mother's roommate and had mental and physical disabilities.
Court documents detail investigation
Officers were called to the location for a report of a missing person on Oct. 10, 2022. They obtained a search warrant after noticing a 40-pound bag of bird feed blocking a door in the garage.
During the investigation, officers said they found the body of Kelly concealed in a closet. Police said there was evidence that she had been restrained and suffered severe blunt-force trauma to the head, according to a probable cause statement.
Upon further investigation of the property, officers located multiple trash bags in the backyard. The contents included personal documents belonging to Conner, baby clothes, blood-soaked sweatpants and towels, and a bloody claw hammer, according to the probable cause statement. One investigator stated the victim's head injuries appeared to be consistent with the claw end of the hammer.
Conner's mother reported the victim missing on Monday and she hasn't been seen since Saturday, according to court documents. Conner's mother said in an interview that he told her to stay out of the garage because of a raccoon. In what his mother referred to as a "reminder," Connor barricaded the garage door with a chair to prevent her entry.
A medical alarm worn by the victim sent multiple alerts to a local fire department on Saturday, according to the documents. Firefighters dispatched to the address spoke with Conner, and their conversation was later used to disprove the timetable Conner suggested in his alibi.