Just before jury selection was scheduled to start in St. Charles County on Sept. 9, the Fulton woman charged with the robbery and beating of a Fulton woman abducted from the Walmart parking lot in 2012 pleaded guilty. Pamela Carter, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree robbery of a Holiday Inn and one count of first-degree robbery with serious physical injury to Sara L. Spencer, 53, of Fulton. On Monday, Sept. 8, she also pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia.
Callaway County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Wilson said Carter's guilty plea just before trial was scheduled to start came as a surprise.
"When we've been in court as many times as we've been with Ms. Carter, it was unexpected," Wilson said.
Wilson said there were plea negotiations about a year ago, but Carter and the state never came to a plea agreement.
"At that time, she (Carter) was unwilling to plea guilty to anything related to Sarah Spencer," Wilson said.
He said he has not seen a guilty plea the morning of the trial on a case of this magnitude.
The October 2012 incident at Walmart's parking lot left Spencer in serious condition at a Columbia hospital. Around 10:30 a.m. Oct. 6, 2012, Fulton Police and Callaway County Sheriff's officers found Spencer face down in a ditch on County Road 210 with serious injuries.
Wilson spoke with Spencer the morning of the trial's scheduled start, after Carter's guilty plea. He said Spencer seemed relieved.
"She's ready for some closure. And she was relieved and glad that it is resolved and Ms. Carter is going to prison and there's no doubt about whether or not she is guilty of this offense," Wilson said. "I think she (Spencer) was relieved with the outcome and ready to move on."
Carter was originally charged with first-degree assault with serious physical injury and two counts of first-degree robbery. On Sept. 9, she plead guilty to the two counts of first-degree robbery. The state dismissed the assault charge because the language of the charge was incorporated into one of the robbery charges.
Carter received 10 years in prison for the robbery charges and one year for the drug paraphernalia charge. Wilson said if Carter decided to parole, she would have to serve at least eight and a half years before being eligible.
Jury selection for the trial was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 9 in St. Charles County, due to a change of venue request. The court automatically grants a change of venue to those in counties with a population less than 75,000 - like Callaway County. The jury was to be sequestered during the length of the trial, which was originally expected to start in the Callaway County Courthouse this afternoon.
Wilson said he expects the Department of Correction to pick Carter up from the Callaway County Jail today.
Megan Favignano can be reached at (573) 826-2417 or [email protected].