Nearly two years after he was charged with the 1985 rape and murder of a young woman from Nixa, Gerald Carnahan will stand trial.

At a motion hearing on Thursday a St. Louis county judge set a trail date of July 27, 2009.

Prosecutors said DNA evidence linked him to 20-year old Jackie Johns’ rape and murder. Her nude body was found in Lake Springfield a few days after she went missing.

Officials said Carnahan was a suspect from the beginning. He will remain in the Greene County jail until the trial.  



Missourinet