Man Receives 10-Year Sentence In Franklin County Woman’s 1987 Death

A man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for the 1987 strangulation death of a Franklin County woman.

Judge Craig E. Hellman sentenced Kirby R. King, 67, for involuntary manslaughter and felonious restraint.

King pleaded guilty in June to having a role in the June 1987 death of Karla Jane Delcour.

Delcour’s body was found June 24, 1987 in a wooded area along the North Service Road, two miles west of St. Clair.

Delcour’s body was discovered in a state of decomposition. She was bound at the wrists and neck.

The St. Louis Medical Examiner determined that she was strangled by ligature.

King was charged with second-degree murder, but reached a plea deal for the lower charge.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence, while King’s defense team wanted five years.

Hellman sided with prosecutors.

King, who was interviewed as a suspect in 1987 was arrested in December 2019.

The Franklin County SHeriff’s Office Cold Case Investigations Unit reopened the case that year.

Detectives traveled to Texas, Arizona and throughout Missouri to re-interview suspects and witnesses.