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Murder charge dropped in prayer group death

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri prosecutor has dropped charges against a former suburban Kansas City man who confessed to killing the wife of his prayer group leader.

Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Friday that her office could not ethically pursue a murder charge against 25-year-old Micah Moore, formerly of Grandview, in the October 2012 death of Bethany Deaton because his confession was unreliable.

Deaton’s body was found inside her locked minivan at Longview Lake on Oct. 30, 2012, with a loosely tied bag over her head and a suicide note and empty 100-count bottle of acetaminophen nearby.

The Jackson County coroner initially listed the cause of death as suicide but changed it to inconclusive after Moore told police that he had killed her.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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