Man convicted in 2013 murder in Blue Summit

A Jackson County jury Thursday found a Blue Summit man guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his neighbor in 2013.

Jurors also found Ricky Sines guilty of armed criminal action in the death of 71-year-old Roger Krout.

Prosecutors displayed photos of Krout lying in a pool of blood on the floor of his home and another photo of the murder weapon — a hatchet that had been found in tall grass outside.

Assistant Jackson County prosecutor Michael Hunt picked up the hatchet in his closing arguments Thursday as he told jurors why they should convict Sines.

“He took this ax and he buried it into his head,” Hunt said.

Sines’ actions included the “cool reflection” necessary for a first-degree murder conviction, he said.

Tiffany Gregg, Sines’ public defender, criticized how some of the evidence had been collected, pointing out to jurors a bloody footprint near Krout’s body that did not appear in other crime scene photos.

“A lot of bad evidence does not prove that Ricky Sines killed Roger Krout,” Gregg said.

Krout died in July 2013 inside his house in the 1800 block of Tilden Street. Investigators noted signs of a struggle in the house, which had been ransacked.

They found the shingler’s hammer, which is a type of hatchet. Investigators believe Sines hit Krout three times in the head with it, which matches the number of blows the Jackson County medical examiner’s office later confirmed.

According to court documents, Sines and Krout drank beer and watched a movie together before the killing.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Robert Schieber will sentence Sines on June 19.

This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Man convicted in 2013 murder in Blue Summit."