Woodworth Hearing Slated on Prosecutor Request

A northwest Missouri man facing a third trial in the shooting death of a neighbor is due in court for a hearing on whether a new prosecuting attorney assigned to his case can be replaced by a special prosecutor.

Thirty-nine-year-old Mark Woodworth, of Chillicothe, has been convicted twice of murdering Cathy Robertson in 1990, but both convictions have been overturned because of problems with evidence.

Livingston County prosecutor Adam Warren was appointed to the case last month after a judge barred the Missouri attorney general's office from prosecuting the case.

Warren has asked to be removed because of Facebook posts he thinks pose a conflict of interest by linking him to efforts to free Woodworth. A motions hearing was scheduled Friday in Platte City.