Defendant dies shortly before trial scheduled in manslaughter case, cause not reported

Douglas Dale was scheduled to begin trial Thursday after being charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of assault for a March 2019 crash that resulted in a man's death.

But Dale, whose vehicle collided with a group of motorcyclists on Highway 65 near Highlandville going the opposite direction in that 2019 crash, wouldn't ever appear in front of a judge for the alleged offense.

Dale, whose lengthy criminal record includes the 2003 shooting death of his ex-wife, died this week.

The cause of Dale's death was not reported, but according to Christian County officials, he passed away shortly before the start of the trial. According to the court docket, Dale's attorney told Christian County Judge Laura Johnson in court Thursday that his client had died.

Dale, 53, allegedly didn't take his prescribed seizure medication for at least a week leading up to the fatal crash and he admitted to drinking a cocktail that morning.

Court documents said alcohol may have exacerbated a seizure Dale said caused the accident, which killed 67-year-old James Roe and seriously injured two other motorcyclists, Michael Jones and Gerald McLaughlin.

Christian County prosecutors said witnesses were ready to testify on Thursday before learning of Dale's passing.

Dale, who served 10 years in prison for the murder of his ex-wife, also had two DWI arrests in 2018, was found guilty of two previous DWIs, and was also arrested for unlawful use of a weapon.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Defendant dies shortly before trial scheduled in manslaughter case