Trial for parents of starved teen Sabrina Ray moved to Sioux City

STEPHEN GRUBER-MILLER   | The Des Moines Register

The trial for two parents accused of murder in the death of their 16-year-old adopted daughter will take place in Sioux City.

District Court Judge Terry Rickers entered an order Friday approving a change of venue from Dallas County to Woodbury County in western Iowa.

The couple, Marc Alan Ray, 42, and Misty Jo Bousman-Ray, 41, face multiple felony charges in the death of their adopted daughter, Sabrina Ray, including first-degree murder, kidnapping and child endangerment. They also face charges related to monthly subsidies received from the state that were intended to go toward the care of their adopted children.

Sabrina Ray was found unresponsive May 12, 2017, at their home in Perry. Sabrina weighed 56 pounds and was severely malnourished at the time of her death, authorities have said.

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. They ran a day care center called Rays of Sunshine Daycare.

Rickers approved the change of venue last week, citing publicity surrounding the case that he said would make it difficult to find an impartial jury. But he did not choose a location for the trial until Friday, court documents show.

The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 4, 2019, and is expected to take three weeks.

Several other members of Sabrina's family have been prosecuted or face upcoming trials related to her abuse.

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.