A New Madrid County jury of six men and six women convicted Neil Howland Jr., 29, of Scott City, of first-degree murder, abandonment of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, knowingly burning and two counts of animal abuse last Friday.
After deliberating nearly an hour and a half, the jury found Howland strangled his mother, Cynthia Canoy, with a braided dog leash Aug. 7, 2013 at her home in Scott City. The jury also found Howland placed her body and her two pet dogs into her SUV, drove the vehicle into a cornfield and burned it. Three days after the killing, he confessed while being held in custody as a suspect at the Scott County Jail in Benton, MO.,
The case was heard in New Madrid County on a change of venue from Scott County. Judge Fred Copeland set sentencing for Jan. 19 in New Madrid.