Civey pleads guilty, Pierce rejects plea agreement in cases filed after Mikayla Jones’ death

Family and friends of Mikayla Jones gathered in front of the St. Francois County Courthouse Friday morning, holding signs demanding justice for the Farmington teen who was found deceased on the side of a Washington County highway last year. The group, which included Jones’ mother, came to the courthouse to attend a hearing held for two men accused of abandoning Jones’ corpse and tampering with evidence.

Friday’s hearings allowed Andrew Pierce, 34, and Ethan Civey, 25, to either plead guilty as part of plea agreements or schedule jury trials in their cases.

While the cases against the two men were filed in Washington County, where the crimes allegedly occurred, proceedings have since been transferred to Ste. Genevieve County after motions for venue change were granted. This week’s hearing was held in St. Francois County by agreement from both parties.

Pierce appeared first before Circuit Judge Wendy Wexler Horn on Friday. Special Prosecutor George Lankford represented the state during the hearing, while Pierce was accompanied by Defense Counsel Kathleen Aubuchon and Andy Morris.

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The charges against Pierce include abandonment of a corpse and four counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution. It was revealed that a plea agreement had been established between the prosecution and defense on July 12; however, Pierce reportedly decided to reject the agreement earlier Friday morning before the hearing. No other plea offers were made, and plea negotiations had stopped, according to both parties.

After Pierce rejected the agreement, his counsel motioned the court to withdraw from the case. Judge Horn granted the attorneys’ motion and instructed Pierce to apply for a public defender. The judge set a counsel status hearing for Sept. 20 in St. Francois County.

Civey appeared in court along with Defense Counsel Brad Van Zee. As part of a plea agreement, Civey withdrew his previous pleas of not guilty, entering guilty pleas to one count of abandonment of a corpse and one count of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution. The man had initially been charged with one count of abandonment of a corpse, four counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution, and one count of possession of a controlled substance but four of the counts were dismissed per the agreement. 

Another condition of the plea deal is that Civey agrees to cooperate with the state in any future court proceedings related to the crimes.  

In stating his guilt, Civey admitted to abandoning Jones’ body on May 5 after he said he “found her dead” in his house and failed to report her death. He further admitted to deleting text messages from his phone to impair the investigation and prosecution.

Judge Horn informed Civey that she would accept the state’s recommendation of the maximum sentence and would be sentencing him to four years in prison on each count to run consecutively for a total of eight years.

A formal sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m. in St. Francois County.

Before dismissing Civey, the judge made it clear to the man that she would be sentencing him to eight years in prison when he returned in October. She noted that if he violated the law before the sentencing hearing, the prosecution could again bring the dismissed charges against him.

The cases against Pierce and Civey were initially filed in May 2021 after Jones’ remains were located. Jones was 18 years old when she was reported missing on May 7, 2021, and search efforts began. On May 20, 2021, the teen’s body was found near Route M between Caledonia and Irondale in Washington County.

Civey and Pierce were reportedly seen with Jones before her disappearance. While interviewed by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, both men admitted that they had disposed of the teen’s body, according to the police reports.

The reports state that Pierce and Civey admitted to destroying drug evidence after Jones’ death. In a press release following the discovery of Jones’ body, Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen said investigators suspected the teen’s death was due to an accidental drug overdose.

A group stands outside the St. Francois County Courthouse Friday holding signs demanding justice for Mikayla Jones.

BOBBY RADFORD

Stacie Jones, Mikayla Jones’ mother, remains adamant that her daughter did not have a history of drug use, nor was she known to hang out with anyone who used drugs. She believes foul play was involved in her daughter’s death and that the evidence is clear.

Since her daughter’s death, Stacie has leased billboards and hung signs in windows of local businesses calling attention to her efforts to secure justice. A Facebook Page, “Justice for Mikayla,” is dedicated to sharing updates, memorials, photos, and more.

Individuals display signs in support of justice for Mikayla Jones as motorists pass by the St. Francois County Courthouse Friday morning. The group was in Farmington for a hearing involving two men charged in connection with Jones’ death last year.

BOBBY RADFORD

An update was posted on the Facebook page after Friday’s hearing stating, in part, that Mikayla Jones’ family, friends, and supporters would not stop fighting for murder charges against those involved in the teen’s death. Stacie also thanked everyone for their prayers, love, and support and said they were “just getting started” in their fight for justice.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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