Man Accused Of 2nd Degree Murder In Camden County Enters Alford Plea & Avoids Jury Trial

A 41-year-old man from Montreal, Missouri, will spend the next four years in prison after entering an Alford plea on Monday to a charge of abandoning a corpse in Camden County.

Eric Cole had originally been charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit an unclassified felony, abandonment of a corpse and stealing in connection to the June, 2022, death of Tanner Elmore.

It had been alleged that Cole and Elmore drove from Jefferson City to the lake area to get drugs and that Elmore had a “bad reaction” to the drugs before Cole drove to McCubbins Point to dump his body.

A jury trial was set to begin this week but was canceled when Cole entered the plea which does not admit guilt but does concede there was enough evidence to be convicted.