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Sam Penrod reportingThe two men accused of murder in the case of missing teenager Kiplyn Davis went back to court today.
There was unusually tight security in the courtroom for Timmy Brent Olsen and Chris Jeppson. There were 12 jail security officers today, which is twice the security we've seen in the past, although no one will comment on why there was such an increased show of force.
A judge will decide at a preliminary hearing if there is enough evidence against the two men to stand trial.
Today, attorneys for Olsen and Jeppson argued that at the hearing, prosecutors should have to call witnesses to the stand to testify, instead of relying on transcripts from the federal perjury trials.
The judge ruled in favor of the defense, saying that in such a serious case it is important to have witnesses in the courtroom to provide their testimony in person. Richard Davis, Kiplyn's father, said, "We're only going to bring in 10 or 12 witnesses; there's 50 or 60 witnesses out there that we could bring in that will say the same thing over and over. I think it will hurt their case, but if that's what they want to do, that's fine with me, that helps our case."
The judge also is bumping several cases on his calendar in January to accommodate this case for that preliminary hearing. Calling this an important and unique case, the judge says he wants it to keep moving forward, especially since the crime is alleged to have occurred more than 12 years ago.
When asked if any plea negotiations have been under way, the attorney for Chris Jeppson said "no." So this case still appears to be headed for trial.
