(Pool Photo by Sandra Milburn – Hutch News)

The murder trial for Charles Christopher Logsdon continued Monday and the state in the afternoon concentrated on testimony of friends of the defendant who are all currently jailed on various. They testified over comments of rumors of the potential robbery of the intended victim, but also comments and notes from the defendant and others implicating him in the killing of Jennifer Heckel.

Logsdon and Billy Craig Jr., are both charged with the murder, but the intended victim was Kayla Elizabeth Salyer-Rodriquez. Zachary Glenn who was convicted of meth charges told of being told of the plot to rob Rodriquez a month before the murder. He admitted that he was granted a plea deal in his meth distribution case, but then violated the corrections. The state requested he be sent to prison, but was granted another chance to go to treatment. He told the jury that the only reason he was testifying was because of the plea deal.

Denise Peterson testified over a joke that Kylie Hartman made about cutting her hair short so she would look less like a murderous. She also told the jury of learning that Logsdon had packed up and moved to Nebraska over fear of being implicated in the murder.

But, the most interesting was testimony of Cynthia Brown who told the jury that while in the Reno County Jail she received notes from Logsdon about the murder where Logsdon implicated Matthew Barnes with being involved in the shooting. She told the jury that Logsdon told her in one the jail house notes, known as “kiting” that both he and Barnes went into the home. Supposedly, Logsdon was in a bedroom with the child while Barnes shot the victim in the head. Craig in one of the notes referred to the son of the victim as a “crying a** kid.” He also told her that the kid wet himself and cried wanting his mom. Billy Craig supposedly didn’t enter the home, but was the driver.

She was also told that both Logsdon and Barnes were armed and they got rid of the weapons by throwing them in some trees on the Heckel property, the stated later that they threw them in a pond in Carey Park.

The testimony Monday morning centered on the autopsy and toxicology information of the victim.

The victim, as previously reported was shot once in the back and also in the head. They also had expert testimony showing that the victim had no alcohol or drugs in her system at the time she was shot. As you would expect, the victims husband and family left the courtroom during the autopsy testimony.

The state also showed the jury the clothing worn by the victim which clearly showed the extensive blood and wounds sustained from the gunshot.

Earlier, the biological father of the son of the victim took the stand to testify to verify that he was working at the time of the murder. Josh Zimmerman who lives in Haysville confirmed that he had given up parental rights to the boy and had not had contact with Jennifer Heckel since 2006.

Detective Tyson Myers also testified about the people who were questioned once they had a new lead on who might have been involved in the murder. It was pretty much a laundry list of others known to law enforcement. Names such as Kylie Hartman, Brandon Butler, Matthew Barnes, Paul Stotts, Jacob Maxwell, Joshua Bietka, Matthew Mounce, Michael Ramsey, Deanna Gilley and Brandy Davis, just to name a few. Myers testified that he would have to interview some multiple times because they would get pieces of information and would to need to confirm things to try to put the puzzle together.

The state also showed a text message allegedly from Logsdon’s phone to Curtis Chappel which said something along the lines of “I shot a hoe with a new piece.” That was supposedly sent four hours after the murder.

Logsdon along with co-defendant Billy Craig, Jr., are charged for the killing of Jennifer Heckel on June 14, 2011. The two are alleged to have gone to a northwest Hutchinson home and shot Heckel while her son was in the home. Logsdon is alleged to have been the actual shooter.

The trial continues Tuesday with the state still presenting their case.