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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- A Kirksville man, charged in a brutal killing earlier this week, has learned his first court date.
 
Paul Potter, 49, is charged with second degree murder, first degree tampering with a motor vehicle and second degree arson. He remains behind bars under $1 million cash only bond.

Adair County Coroner Brian Noe told KTVO Thursday that the cause of death of the, yet unnamed, victim was multiple stab wounds, according to the preliminary autopsy report.

Potter was arraigned in Associate Circuit Court via video link at the jail Wednesday. He is scheduled to have a date for a preliminary hearing set on January 16.
   
Potter is accused of killing a man and dismembering parts of the victim’s body.

The full autopsy report will not be completed until toxicology tests are back, which could be up to two months, according to Coroner Noe. The actual identity of the victim is being withheld awaiting confirmation from finger prints.

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