Cassville Man Charged In Girlfriend's Murder:

Jimmy Joe Nelson has been charged with murder

A man from Cassville has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action for the death of his girlfriend last week.

Prosecutor Johnnie Cox says Jimmy Joe Nelson, 40, slit 43 year-old Vicki Leigh Clark's neck and she bled to death during a fight last week (08-17-11) at the couples apartment in Cassville.

Barry County Prosecutor Johnnie Cox

According to the probable cause statement, Nelson called Clark's boss and told them Clark killed herself about 2 a.m. - Clark's boss then notified authorities about 11:00 a.m.  Investigators say Clark had defensive wounds on her hands and arm. A folding knife was found  lying on Clark's neck when she was found.

Neighbors say the couple fought on a regular basis and Nelson would lock Clark out of the apartment....sometimes when it was freezing outside.

Nelson was arrested last night at a residence in Barry County without incident and is being held in the Barry County Jail on a $250,000 bond.