KBI Special Agent Corey Latham
(Pool Photos by Sandra Milburn ~ Hutch News)
The murder trial for Charles Christopher Logsdon will resume Monday in front of Judge Trish Rose in Reno County District Court.
Testimony Friday included testimony over the police investigation where officials cleared the Heckel family and then began looking at other possible suspects. It was about 2 weeks after the murder when they decided they would need to expand the search for a killer. Officials admit they still didn’t have a motive at that point.
As we have told you earlier, co-defendant Billy Craig opened the investigation to a much wider scope when he told Detective Dean Harcrow that he heard the victim had been shot in the head.
He also testified about his initial contact with Charles Christopher Logsdon and how Logsdon denied in involvement in the murder. He claimed he was in Houston, Texas, when in fact he was in Hastings, Nebraska. The state played the audio of that conversation.
Harcrow also testified over a cell phone text from Logsdon to Craig over the murder, when Logsdon questioned Craig about statements he was making about the murder and stated. “You better talk to me.”
Detective Tyson Myers was on the stand late Friday afternoon discussing text messages that were found on Logsdon’s phone that implicated him.
Earlier in the day, KBI Agent Corey Latham who’s the team leader for the KBI Crime Scene Response Team took the stand.
Latham testified about various pictures of the crime scene and the surrounding area. He showed the pictures to the jury through a CD presentation that he prepared for the state showing both the inside and the outside of the home. There were pictures of the victims body, but also some of her clothing showing the markings because of the bullet wounds. He testified that the shooter was very close to the victim when she was shot based on the markings on her clothing.
Also on the stand earlier Friday was the son of the victim who basically gave the same information with his testimony of what he saw and heard the night of the murder. The boy heard his mother screaming as the man came in. He then heard 4 loud booms and noticed that his mother was not breating. He stated that he thought they were gunshots. The boy says he hid and didn’t want the man to see him because he might do something to him.
Logsdon along with co-defendant Billy Craig, Jr., are charged for the killing of Jennifer Heckel on June 14, 2011. Other charges include conspiracy to commit first degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Logsdon is also charged with aggravated intimidation of a witness for allegedly threatening another inmate, Matthew Mounce. He apparently made comments to Mounce about the case and allegedly threatened him over any testimony he might give.
The two are alleged to have gone to a northwest Hutchinson home and shot Heckel while her son was in the home. The state calls it a case of mistaken identity. The state alleges they intended 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.
Again the trial resumes on Monday.