Motions

A hearing for the man accused of killing a Great Bend teen has been postponed.  Adam Longoria was supposed to be in court as attorneys argued several motions, but one of the attorneys is sick. Longoria accused of killing 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt. Among the motions, attorneys will discuss whether documents filed in the case should be sealed. The hearing is now set for November 18 before Longoria's preliminary hearing.

by Cliff Judy Handwritten and without help from his lawyers. They're the motions and petitions Elgin Robinson put before a judge Thursday afternoon. Robinson is accused of the capital murder of pregnant Wichita teen Chelsea Brooks. One of the motions filed in civil court claim the prosecution's key witness lied under oath last October. Another wants Brooks' body to be exhumed for more DNA testing. Eyewitness News' legal expert says defendants taking matters into their own hands isn't uncommon, but it is a bad move.

by Cliff Judy The man accused of killing a Wichita teen appeared in court Friday afternoon.  Elgin Robinson, 20, is facing several charges including the capital murder of 14-year-old Chelsea Brooks. Sedgwick County Judge Ben Burgess heard several motions, including five from Robinson's attorneys asking the judge to rule the Kansas death penalty as unconstitutional.  Burgess denied all five of those motions. Robinson's attorneys also asked the judge to reinstate his phone, mail, and visitation privileges.

by Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.) A judge delays the decision on whether prosecutors can change the charges against Justin Thurber and whether jurors will visit the crime scene where 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm was killed. Thurber is charged with capital murder in the Arkansas City teen's death.  Officers found Sanderholm's body near the Kansas/Oklahoma border days after she disappeared in January 2007. Attorneys were scheduled to argue five prosecution motions Thursday afternoon, but the judge continued the hearing until September 26th when defense attorneys asked for more time to prepare.

by Cliff Judy & Chris Durden They say he stalked and scared them, and less than a week later, 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm was found dead. Several women testified Wednesday afternoon during a hearing that included dozens of motions in the Justin Thurber capital murder case.  Thurber, 24, is accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and killing the Arkansas City teen in January 2007. Sanderholm's body was found near the Kansas/Oklahoma border less than a week after she disappeared.

Adam Longoria's defense team makes a number of requests from the court in the case involving the murder of 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt. In one of the eight motions, Longoria's counsel wants to ban DeBolt's family and friends from sitting directly in front of the jury. His counsel also doesn't want the family showing any emotion in the courtroom. Longoria is accused of killing the Great Bend teen in August 2010. Her burned body was found at an asphalt plant, where Longoria worked.

A Kingman man accused of killing his wife and setting their house on fire is in court this week as attorneys argue several motions.  Brett Seacat is charged in the death of his wife, Vashti. On the first day of the motions hearing Tuesday, lawyers argued motions covering everything from statements Vashti Seacat made to co-workers, to her mental health before her death. Brett seacat was in the courtroom for the hearing, so were members of his family and Vashti's family.

A Kingman County judge has closed an evidentiary hearing in the case of Brett Seacat Wednesday.  During that hearing, the judge will determine whether 14 e key pieces of evidence can be used in Seacat's trial - which is set to begin Decemb er 3rd. The judge ruled that the information discussed in the hearing, if open to the public, could impede Seacat's right to a fair trial. Eyewitness News and a number of other media outlets filed a response in an effort to keep that hearing open.

by Cliff Judy (WINFIELD, Kan.) After more than two years of wondering the fate of their daughter's killer, Brian and Cindy Sanderholm know Justin Thurber will face the death penalty.  On Friday morning, a judge officially sentenced Thurber to death. A jury convicted Thurber of capital murder in February for killing 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm.  The Arkansas City teen disappeared in January 2007.  Prosecutors say she suffered for hours at the hands of Thurber before he strangled her.  Sanderholm's body was found in a wildlife area near the Kansas/Oklahoma border beaten and sexually assaulted.

by Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.) Elgin Robinson's capital murder trial will go ahead as scheduled.  Thursday morning, a judge denied his attorney's motions to declare the Kansas death penalty unconstitutional and dismiss a charge of capital murder. Robinson is charged with hiring another man to kill pregnant Wichita teen Chelsea Brooks.  Brooks, 14, was nine months pregnant with Robinson's unborn child when she disappeared in June 2006.  Prosecutors say he hired Ted Burnett to strangle the girl for a combination of cash and drugs.

A Kingman County judge has closed an evidentiary hearing in the case of Brett Seacat Wednesday.  During that hearing, the judge will determine whether 14 e key pieces of evidence can be used in Seacat's trial - which is set to begin Decemb er 3rd. The judge ruled that the information discussed in the hearing, if open to the public, could impede Seacat's right to a fair trial. Eyewitness News and a number of other media outlets filed a response in an effort to keep that hearing open.

A Kingman man accused of killing his wife and setting their house on fire is in court this week as attorneys argue several motions.  Brett Seacat is charged in the death of his wife, Vashti. On the first day of the motions hearing Tuesday, lawyers argued motions covering everything from statements Vashti Seacat made to co-workers, to her mental health before her death. Brett seacat was in the courtroom for the hearing, so were members of his family and Vashti's family.

A judge denied Adam Longoria's motion for a change of venue Monday afternoon according to a court officer. Longoria's attorneys spent most of a hearing last week talking about things they wanted for his March murder trial.  Longoria is charged with killing 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt in August of 2010.  Her burned body was found at an asphalt plant, where Longoria worked. Longoria's attorneys wanted his trial moved to another county.  It was the first motion to be discussed in court.

Adam Longoria's defense team makes a number of requests from the court in the case involving the murder of 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt. In one of the eight motions, Longoria's counsel wants to ban DeBolt's family and friends from sitting directly in front of the jury. His counsel also doesn't want the family showing any emotion in the courtroom. Longoria is accused of killing the Great Bend teen in August 2010. Her burned body was found at an asphalt plant, where Longoria worked.

A man charged with killing a Great Bend teenager will get a new preliminary hearing because of amended charges. Adam Longoria is in court Thursday for a hearing on several motions.  Longoria is accused of killing 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt last August. DeBolt's body was found at a Great Bend asphalt plant where Longoria worked. One of the issues that came up is the amended charges in the case.  Prosecutors recently changed a criminal sodomy charge to attempted rape.  Longoria's defense argued the prosecution couldn't amend because a preliminary hearing on criminal sodomy has already been held and because defense attorneys never had a chance to examine witnesses on the attempted rape charges.  Defense attorneys also argued that DNA evidence found in Debolt's mouth belongs to another man, not Longoria.  Prosecutors didn't argue that point but said it is within their right to amend charges as evidence is still being collected and analyzed.

A motion is filed to keep a man accused of killing a Great Bend teen from contacting his girlfriend. Adam Longoria is charged in the death of Alicia DeBolt. The motion, filed Tuesday, states that Longoria is to have no contact with Eva Brown, who is a witness in the case.  It also states he cannot have contact with another person, Jeff Brown. During Longoria's preliminary hearing, Eva Brown said how she was still in contact with Longoria and he asked her to marry him since he’s been arrested.

A hearing for the man accused of killing a Great Bend teen has been postponed.  Adam Longoria was supposed to be in court as attorneys argued several motions, but one of the attorneys is sick. Longoria accused of killing 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt. Among the motions, attorneys will discuss whether documents filed in the case should be sealed. The hearing is now set for November 18 before Longoria's preliminary hearing.

A Sedgwick County judge has denied a motion to modify the sentence of a man convicted of driving while intoxicated and causing an accident that critically injured an Eyewitness News reporter. Albert Faldet, 42, is serving an 18-month sentence in Sedgwick County for Flee & Elude and a misdemeanor DUI. Wichita Police say he was involved in a hit and run accident while driving intoxicated in the summer of 2006. Seven months later, Faldet again ran from police and hit Eyewitness News Reporter Alana Rocha’s car while running his third red light at First and Hydraulic.

by Cliff Judy (WINFIELD, Kan.) After more than two years of wondering the fate of their daughter's killer, Brian and Cindy Sanderholm know Justin Thurber will face the death penalty.  On Friday morning, a judge officially sentenced Thurber to death. A jury convicted Thurber of capital murder in February for killing 19-year-old Jodi Sanderholm.  The Arkansas City teen disappeared in January 2007.  Prosecutors say she suffered for hours at the hands of Thurber before he strangled her.  Sanderholm's body was found in a wildlife area near the Kansas/Oklahoma border beaten and sexually assaulted.

By Chris Durden (WINFIELD, Kan.) A motions hearing for accused murderer Justin Thurber has ended. Another closed hearing January 9th at ten o'clock in the morning. During today's hearing, both the prosecution and the defense agreed not to talk about the proceedings. Thurber is accused of murdering Arkansas City teen Jodi Sanderholm two years ago. Thurber's trial is still scheduled to start January 26th in Winfield.