A Missouri man has been accused of killing his girlfriend and dumping her body in the woods after initially claiming to police she was abducted.
Aaron Malone was found guilty by a Jasper County jury of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the November 2024 disappearance and death of 24-year-old Aspen Lewis.
Malone, 24, reported that Lewis was missing and told police he believed she was abducted, according to court documents viewed by Law & Crime.
“Throughout our criminal investigation, inconsistencies were located in Aaron’s statement,” police wrote in the probable cause affidavit.
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Malone spoke to investigators about Lewis’ disappearance, and authorities noted that they found a “large blood stain in the roadway behind Aaron’s truck.” Additionally, the affidavit stated that investigators discovered bloodstains on Malone’s truck and the gravel driveway “appeared to be disturbed.”
“Jewelry pieces were located on the ground,” the document continued. “Nearby video surveillance showed Aaron’s truck arrived at the residence at approximately 11:35 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2024. Shortly afterward on video surveillance screaming can be heard.”
Surveillance video captured Malone’s truck leaving the residence around 1:35 a.m., while the vehicle returned around 4:10 a.m. The vehicle was seen returning to the residence not long after Malone called police to report that Lewis was missing.
Police asked Malone about the blood and surveillance footage, and he ultimately said he would take investigators to Lewis’ body. As police arrived at the location, they observed “the remains of a burnt pink” shirt in the roadway. Lewis was found “off the roadway” soon after.
“The victim had extensive head trauma,” the affidavit said. “In a post Miranda interview … Aaron Malone admitted to an altercation taking place and disposing of the body.”
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After Malone was arrested in connection to Lewis’ death, prosecutors argued that he “repeatedly assaulted the victim in the face, strangled her, and shot her before leaving her body in the woods in Barry County,” according to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
Following a three-day trial, jurors deliberated for about an hour before Malone was convicted. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9.
“I am proud of our collaboration with Barry County Prosecutor Amy Boxx to deliver justice for the victim’s family,” Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement following the verdict. “We will continue to join forces with local prosecutors and law enforcement to safeguard our communities and ensure violent offenders are taken off the streets.”
