Ruud, Peat plead not guilty to murder of Ozark County teen

It was a short court date Monday for a couple accused in the death of an Ozark County teenager. Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant says 39-year-old Rebecca Ruud and 31-year-old Robert Peat, Jr., waived formal reading and pled not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with evidence and abandoning a corpse.

Ruud and Peat were in the courtroom for a combined total of approximately five minutes to answer to the charges handed down Wednesday by an Ozark County grand jury. The two were indicted on suspicion of the murder of Ruud’s 16-year-old daughter, Savannah Leckie.

Leckie’s adoptive mother, Tamile Leckie-Montague, made the trip to Gainesville from Minnesota and sat in the courtroom as Ruud’s motion for a change of judge was granted. Circuit Judge Craig Carter was recused from Ruud’s case, and it will be referred to the Missouri State Supreme Court for assignment of judicial personnel. Prior to Ruud’s time in court, Peat appeared before Judge Carter and was ordered to reappear November 8th.

Leckie was born in Minnesota in 2001 but was adopted a few months later by Leckie-Montague and her then-husband, David Leckie. After her adoptive parents divorced, Savannah continued to live with Leckie-Montague until August of last year when a conflict developed with the adoptive mother’s boyfriend. Leckie then moved to Ruud’s remote 81-acre farm near Theodosia.

It was just over two months ago when Ruud contacted the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department to report her daughter missing. After an extensive search, investigators found burned human remains on Ruud’s propertey, and they were later identified as Leckie’s.

Ruud is currrently being held in the Ozark County Jail, and Peat is incarcerated in the Douglas County Jail at Ava. Both are held without bond.

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI