Charles Christopher Logsdon listens during trial Thursday morning at the Reno County courthouse with his attorney Jim Pratt, right.

(Pool Photos by Sandra J. Milburn/The Hutch News)

The trial for Charles Christopher Logsdon got underway Thursday morning with opening statements and then the beginning of testimony which centered on the discovery of the body of Jennifer Heckel.

Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton gave the opening statement for the state and told of the four shots fired inside the home at 501 Coronado, two striking the victim, one in the back and one in the back of the head.

He also told of the alleged conspiracy between the defendants, Logsdon and Billy Joe Craig Jr. The alleged plot was to rob Kayla Elizabeth Salyer-Rodriquez of her drugs, but went to Heckel’s home by mistake and when she didn’t have any drugs, she was killed. Logsdon is alleged to have been the actual shooter. They claimed that Salyer-Rodriquez owed a drug debt of 27-thousand dollars, something she denies. She had apparently been warned of the plan for the hit on her.

Stanton told the jury that when Craig was interviewed by police and asked what he knew about the crimes, he claims he didn’t know much, but knew that she had been shot in the head. Stanton told the jury that this piece of information had not been made public, only someone who had direct knowledge of the crime would have known that.

Defense Attorney Michael Brown told the jury that a gun seized when police found Logsdon in Hastings, Nebraska actually belonged to a man named Travis Waters who lived in that community. He also talked about how his client had talked with police 5-or-6 times and was always cooperative with them. But, he also made an unusual statement twice during his opening statement. He told the jury that he’s “uncertain on what the evidence is.”

On the stand Thursday morning were the two neighbors of the victim who told of Heckel’s little boy coming to their house and telling them that his mother was hurt. Leland Spivey then went with the little boy and discovered the women hurt. He attempted to use her nearby cell phone, but wasn’t familiar with how to use it so he sent the boy back to his home to tell his wife to call 911. So he did.

Miguel Mendez testifies Thursday morning during the Charles Logsdon trial at the Reno County courthouse. Logsdon is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jennifer Heckel.

Meanwhile, they flagged down two men to maybe help them help Heckel. The two men, Miguel Mendez and Mario Brown both testified to stopping and then going into the home to see if they could help, only to discover that the woman inside the kitchen of her home was not breathing. They also called 911, and during that call, you could hear emergency vehicles arriving.

Thursday afternoon, the testimony centered on the interviews that Hutchinson Police Detective Scott Carlton with Heckel’s son who was home when the shooting occurred. He took the stand and during his testimony, they played audio of the first interview with the young boy that occurred right after the shooting. The boy told the detective that he heard 4 loud booms and also his mother screaming as the man came in. But after the booms, he didn’t hear her scream anymore. The boy says he hid and didn’t want the man to see him because he might do something to him. They also showed a video of the second interview with the boy where he described seeing a vehicle come into the circle driveway of the home.

Also in the stand was Hutchinson Police detective Marty Robertson. He testified that they first looked at the victims husband Brian as a possible suspect, but it was determined he was working out of town. They also looked at the boys biological father who lived in Wichita. He was also excluded.

Police for two weeks couldn’t find any motive for the killing. After about two weeks, Detective Dean Harcrow talked with Billy Craig who claimed no connection to the killing, but did mention that he heard the victim had been shot in the head. That information had not been made public. That led to detectives suspecting that Craig was involved that eventually led to the charges against him and Christopher Logsdon.

The Logsdon trial continues on Friday in Reno County District Court.