Judge Recuses Himself From Gambling Homicide Case

SPRINGFIELD (Associated Press) - A judge is recusing himself from the case of a former school superintendent accused of killing a Springfield couple who police say refused to lend the man $250,000 to cover gambling debts.

The Springfield News-Leader reported that retiring Greene County Judge Dan Conklin announced Friday that he is stepping away from Mark Porter's case. Meanwhile, Porter's attorney, Dee Wampler, is seeking to withdraw from the case.

Porter is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the May 2014 killings of 60-year-old Gary Tyrrell and his 61-year-old wife, Jan Tyrrell.

Porter was superintendent at the Mountain Grove School District when Gary Tyrrell was assistant superintendent in the mid-2000s. Authorities allege Porter shot Gary Tyrrell twice and beat Jan Tyrrell to death with an engraved walnut tusk.