Judge postpones sentencing hearing for Laclede Co., Missouri, woman accused of nearly killing two people

LACLEDE CO., Mo. (KY3) – A Laclede County woman recovering from multiple gunshot wounds says she is tired of the court system.

Ashley West and her husband James were victims of a shooting near Phillipsburg nearly five years ago.

“I feel like if we had died, she might have been locked up by now. We would have already had justice,” Ashley West said.

On November 14, 2019, the Wests were exiting I-44 near Phillipsburg when what appeared to be minor fender-bender damage turned into the couple fighting for their lives. She told Laclede County officials that another vehicle hit her car twice from behind, sending her car crashing into a guardrail. As she got out, she said someone wearing a wig started shooting at her. Ashley West was hit five times. Her husband was hit eight times.

“We didn’t expect that to be the person who did it. We had no idea why she wanted us dead,” West said.

According to authorities, Beckie Stalder, James West's former mother-in-law, admitted to the shooting and was charged with four counts of felony assault. They say custody was the motivating factor behind all of this. After years of dealing with the courts, Stalder was scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, but the hearing was delayed.

“It’s something I have to live with every day. I have to deal with it every day. My husband too. It touched us very much. It impacts our children. They're worried we'll die. There’s just a lot of unnecessary pain,” West said.

She says she is frustrated by another delay in the legal process. She hopes that Stalder will remain locked up for a long time.

“I think she should be at least 25 years old. She shouldn't have the option of parole because if someone did something as extreme as she did, they would do it again,” she said. “You made that decision once. You will make this choice again. We have no choice but to live with it for the rest of our lives. I feel like this is something she should live with at least for the rest of her life.”

Beckie Stalder's sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

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