JACKSON, Mo. (AP)- Cape Girardeau County prosecutor Morley Swingle expects to call around 20 witnesses Wednesday at a preliminary hearing for a southeastern Missouri man charged with first-degree murder.

Clay Waller, of Jackson, is accused of killing his estranged wife, Jacque, even though her body has never been found. The charges were filed in April in a case that has drawn national attention.

Jacque Waller was 39 when she disappeared on June 1, 2011. Her Honda Pilot was found the following day along Interstate 55.

The couple was in the process of getting a divorce at the time. Their triplets, now 6 years old, are living with Jacque Waller’s sister, Cheryl Brenneke.

Clay Waller pleaded guilty last year to threatening Brenneke over the Internet and is serving a five-year sentence.

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