Mo. Man Who Killed, Sexually Assaulted 9-Year-Old Girl Is Executed

Mar. 15, 2025

Christopher Collings.Photo:Missouri Department of Corrections via AP

Missouri Department of Corrections via AP

Christopher Collings, a Missouri death row inmate convicted of sexually assaulting and killing a 9-year-old girl, was executed as scheduled on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

“Right or wrong I accept this situation for what it is,” Collings wrote in his last statement. “To anyone that I have hurt in this life I am sorry. I hope that you are able to get closure and move on. Regardless which side of this situation that you are on. You are in my prayers and I hope to see you in heaven one day.”

Collings kidnapped, raped, and murdered Ford in November 2007 before throwing the girl’s body in a sinkhole near Powell, Mo, according to astatementfrom Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

“Collings also burned the rope he used to strangle the victim, the blood-stained clothing he wore during the attack, and his blood-stained mattress,” the statement added. Collings ultimately confessed to police and wasfound guiltyof first-degree murder.

According to the AP, authorities said Collings and Ford knew each other since he had lived with her and her family for several months, with Ford referring to him as “Uncle Chris."

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In Collings' clemency petition, attorneys argued that the convicted murderer had a brain abnormality that caused “functional deficits in awareness, judgment and deliberation, comportment, appropriate social inhibition, and emotional regulation," the AP reported. It also claimed Collings was a victim of childhood abuse.

source: people.com