Miller County Man To Stand Trial For Abandoning A Corpse

A 58-year-old Miller County man will stand trial beginning next month in Tuscumbia. Daniel Cole of Kaiser is facing a charge of abandoning a corpse in the February 2019 murder of 41-year-old Aaron Brantley of Columbia. 26th Circuit Judge Kenneth Hayden will hear the trial.

Brantley’s body was found on March 7th of 2019, in a wooded area near Brumley in Miller County. He had been reported missing on Feb. 8. Authorities said he died of a gunshot wound.

One person in the case, William Lucas of Kaiser, previously pleaded guilty to acting as an accessory to motor-vehicle tampering. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
Miller County Prosecutor Ben Winfrey initially charged Cole and Lucas with murder and armed criminal action, but those charges were dismissed.
The alleged triggerman, Christopher English, of Eldon, is scheduled for a jury trial on November 28. He’s charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and abandonment of a corpse.