Man Pleads Not Guilty in 1984 Joplin Homicide

A man who was a fugitive for almost 30 years pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the 1984 death of a Joplin woman.

Sixty-five-year-old Paul A. Moses entered the plea Thursday during a video arraignment in Jasper County Circuit Court. He is charged with killing 62-year-old Frances Ramsey in a duplex near her home.

Moses was captured in August in San Diego, where he was found after he applied for Social Security benefits.

The Joplin Globe reports that after his extradition in December, Jasper County prosecutors filed a new count of forcible rape against Moses. He pleaded not guilty to that charge Monday.

Investigators say Moses was seen leaving a bar with Ramsey the night before her death but police could not find him for questioning.