The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced today that on November 30, 2012, GERALD LOVETT BLUFORD, DOB: 12/27/1959, formerly of Nixa, Missouri was found guilty by a Christian County jury of the class C felony of Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Honorable Judge John Waters presiding.

On November 29, 2012, with the Honorable Judge John Waters presiding the jury trial of State of Missouri v. GERALD LOVETT BLUFORD commenced. 1st Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Donovan Dobbs represented the State. The facts presented to the jury included defendant was arrested for an unrelated matter by the Nixa Police Department on November 20, 2007 and a search of the defendant incident to that arrest was conducted. Inside Bluford’s pants pocket the officer found a packaged chunky white substance that lab analysis confirmed to be 4.39 grams of cocaine base. The jury trial concluded on Friday, November 30, 2012 and after deliberations the jury returned a guilty verdict to the single count of Possession of a Controlled Substance.

BLUFORD was arrested on November 20, 2007 for the stabbing death of Eric Eidson and was previously found guilty by a Christian County jury on December 17, 2009 of Voluntary Manslaughter and Armed Criminal Action in connection with that stabbing death. BLUFORD is currently serving the sentence given by the Honorable Judge Mark Orr to serve fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the Voluntary Manslaughter and to serve ten (10) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the Armed Criminal Action, those sentences to run consecutively.

BLUFORD is scheduled to be sentenced before the Honorable Judge John Waters on January 16, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. The range of punishment for the class C felony of Possession of a Controlled Substance is 1 day to 1 year incarceration in the Christian County jail, 2 to 7 years incarceration in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a fine up to $5,000.

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