A Springfield man pleaded guilty this month to second-degree murder for a 2021 Benton County killing — more than five years after 28-year-old Cody Garrett was found dead near a Warsaw bike park, and only after prosecutors let the original first-degree murder charge walk.
Jack Wagner, 71, struck his deal on Nov. 4, according to ABC17News.com, dropping from first-degree murder and armed criminal action to second-degree murder. Two co-defendants still haven't faced trial. The case is a snapshot of a system where victims wait and killers walk while prosecutors negotiate down.
Wagner is being held at Benton County Jail awaiting his Feb. 3 sentencing. His case was moved to Henry County in November 2025 — another delay in a case that had already dragged for years. Garrett was reported missing on June 21, 2021. Deputies found his vehicle and remains off trails near a bike park outside Warsaw. An autopsy confirmed homicide.
Co-defendants Kayley and Michael Birnbaum, both of Springfield, still face first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges. Michael Birnbaum's jury trial is set for May 2027. Kayley Birnbaum's is scheduled for April 2027 — six full years after Garrett was killed. No explanation has been offered for the glacial pace.
Contrast that with Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, where a jury needed less than an hour to find CEO Kenneth R. Michaels guilty of first-degree murder for shooting his brother-in-law in a company lobby. Michaels, 69, admitted from the outset he killed John Roskowski, 68, on Aug. 17, 2023, but claimed self-defense. The Mechanicsburg Patriot News reported that Michaels brought a 9mm handgun to the confrontation, unlocked the lobby door to meet Roskowski, then shot him and left without providing aid. Witnesses testified they never heard Roskowski threaten him. First-degree murder carries automatic life. Sentencing is set for Feb. 12.
In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, another plea deal: 27-year-old Dylan Blake Chandler pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for shooting his supervisor at a Northrop Grumman facility in January 2026. CBS News reported that Chandler killed 37-year-old Joseph Keith Aman during a meeting about performance issues that were "likely to result in Mr. Chandler being reprimanded or terminated." A third security worker disarmed Chandler and held him until police arrived. Prosecutor Anne Colt Leitess called it "a horrible tragedy" and emphasized the lack of premeditation — soft language for a man who shot his boss over a reprimand.
Three cases, three outcomes. In Pennsylvania, a jury delivered full accountability in under 60 minutes. In Missouri and Maryland, prosecutors cut deals and called it justice. Wagner will be sentenced in February. The Birnbaums won't face a jury until 2027 — if the dates hold. Garrett has been dead since 2021. The question isn't whether the system can hold killers accountable. It's how many deals get cut before it bothers to try.
