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Sam Penrod ReportingThe two men charged with murder in the disappearance of missing teenager Kiplyn Davis, made their first appearance today in court as co-defendants.
Timmy Brent Olsen and Chris Jeppson sat together in court today. They are facing the same murder charges in the death of Kiplyn Davis.
And for the first time since being charged in her murder almost two years ago, Olsen was formally read the charges against him in court.
Olsen and Jeppson listened as attorneys argued about the next step in this case; a preliminary hearing where the judge will decide if there is enough evidence against them to have a trial.
The defense wants prosecutors to call witnesses into court, but the prosecutors want to rely heavily on transcripts of testimony given in the defendants' perjury trials in federal court.
The judge will first have to decide on that, and the preliminary hearing that was scheduled for this week has now been canceled.
But Kiplyn's family still believes the wheels of justice are moving. Richard Davis, Kiplyn's father, says, "I know we are definitely on our way to having the murder trial going on; whether it's next month or next February or March, at least I know we have Tim Olsen here and that we are going to continue to progress on the murder trial."
The case may be slowed by an enormous amount of evidence that defense attorneys will have to review in this case; it is almost entirely witness statements.
This case has no forensic evidence, and Kiplyn's body has never been found, although she is presumed dead after disappearing 12 ½ years ago.
The judge called this case very unusual and will decide where it will go next on November 13.
