Judge approves request to move Sabrina Ray's parents' murder trial out of Dallas County
ROBIN OPSAHL | The Des Moines Register
A judge approved a motion to move the trial of a Perry couple charged with the murder of their 16-year-old adopted daughter out of Dallas County.
Judge Terry Rickers approved the Rays’ request to change the location of the trial Wednesday morning. The couple filed the motion claiming an unbiased jury could not be found in Dallas County due to the publicity surrounding the case.
Rickers advised court administrators to look on the eastern and western borders of the state for a new venue.
Marc and Misty Ray are accused of abusing and denying care to Sabrina Ray, who was found unresponsive May 12 at their home in Perry. Sabrina weighed 56 pounds and was severely malnourished at the time of her death, authorities have said.
The Rays are charged with her death and face multiple felonies for child endangerment and neglect.
The Rays were on a trip to Disney World when Sabrina was found dead by authorities. The couple took in Sabrina as a foster child in 2011 and adopted her in 2013.
Sabrina Ray's brother, Justin Ray, was the only family member home at the time of her death. He pleaded guilty to two counts of willful injury in February and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors said he drop-kicked her down a basement staircase, leaving her unable to walk, talk, eat or drink normally.
In April, Sabrina's adoptive grandmother, Carla Bousman of Perry, pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of child endangerment, on count of neglect of a dependent person, one count of accessory after the fact, and one count of obstructing prosecution. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
A niece, Josie Raye Bousman, has been charged after she allegedly admitted she helped injure Sabrina, helped keep her confined and denied her food and water, according to the complaint. She has agreed to testify at Marc and Misty Ray’s trial, and her own trial will be held after their’s concludes.